The Future's Unknown
by foreveragleek44
Summary: When McKinley closes down, the New Directions boys all transfer to Dalton Academy for junior year, moving into the boarding house. But when Kurt gets separated from his friends, he comes across Blaine Anderson, his new sophomore roommate, and realises that there really is no way of knowing what the future holds. AU! Klaine! Some Warbler scenes!
1. Chapter 1

_Dear Parents,_

_I regret to inform you that as of next academic year, William McKinley High School will be closed down due to health and safety issues within the premises, which we cannot afford to repair and or improve due to insufficient funding from The National Board of Education. _

_I appreciate that this will cause you some concern as it will affect your children's future education. I will have individual meetings with your children within this penultimate semester in order to recommend future schools based on their attributes, current grade predictions and extra-curricular interests. If any of this criteria is unable to be met for your son or daughter, I will recommend school placements primarily based on reflection of their grade capability as the staff at William McKinley High School and I both believe that getting the best possible grades is a necessity to a bright future for your children._

_Attached to this letter is a list of all the schools I will be recommending to your sons and daughters including an overview of each school, what is available for your children at these schools, why we will be recommending them, the addresses and distances from William McKinley High School so you are able to make an informed decision on my individual recommendations to suit you and your children._

_Please do contact me if you have any further concerns regarding school transfers._

_With regards,_

_T Figgins_

_Principal, William McKinley High School_

* * *

"Finn, keep up. I want to get to the boarding house before the semester starts."

Kurt walked across the Dalton Academy campus with his boarding bag, his stepbrother Finn trailing behind. Finn replied, out of breath, "Dude, chill. The semester doesn't start for another week. This is just an orientation week."

Kurt rolled his eyes, "For a football player, your fitness levels are far from ideal."

Finn jogged to catch up with his brother, "I just don't get why they've built the boarding house all the way across campus from the parking lot."

"Oh my God, Finn. Just stop complaining. The fact they even accepted us and the other guys should be enough for you."

Finn chuckled as they turned the corner, the boarding house now in sight across an elegant, well-kept garden, "Can we just take a minute to remind ourselves that there are more students than just us? I'm sure we'll all be split up."

They walked up the steps of the boarding house, briefly admiring its early 1900s architecture. Kurt sighed as he grabbed hold of the door handle, "You ready?"

"You mean to finally face reality that McKinley is no longer around? I'm never going to be ready for that, dude."

Kurt pulled the door open to reveal a grand foyer filled with students lining up in a chaotic fashion at allocated tables in order to receive their boarding information booklets. Finn advanced towards the table labelled 'E-H', Kurt following close behind.

Suddenly, Kurt accidentally stepped on someone's foot, causing them to yelp loudly, "Ow!"

Kurt immediately replied, a little alarmed, "I'm so sorry! That was really clumsy of me! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

The boy looked up from the floor smiling, having checked that his foot was okay. Kurt could not believe what he was seeing. This guy was probably the most beautiful person he had ever seen: black gelled hair, olive toned skin, vibrant hazel eyes, dazzling smile. Kurt was sure that he was hallucinating, or was at least delusional. He'd never really felt like he liked anyone before, with the exception of his stepbrother, which he was pretty sure was just because he was lonely having recently come out of the closet. He also didn't believe in liking someone for their looks, but by God was this guy beautiful.

Kurt replied, "Well, if you're sure..."

The guy smiled again, causing Kurt's heart to flutter, "I'm sure. I need to get going. My boarding information pack isn't going to collect itself."

And with that, the guy walked off. Kurt stood in a trance, biting his lip, unable to get the boy's face out of his mind. The chiselled cheekbones, the flawless complexion, the luscious lips... Kurt was jolted out of his daydream by someone patting him on the back, "What the hell was that, Hummel?"

Kurt turned around to see Puck and Sam standing behind him, eyebrows raised, eyes bulging at what they just witnessed. He couldn't help but hug his two friends, more than happy to see them still at the same school as him. Sam chuckled lightly, "Kurt, we saw you yesterday. We went to Six Flags, remember?"

Kurt replied happily, "I know, but this whole new school thing is just overwhelming me, and I've never been happier to see you."

Puck grinned widely, "Looks like you've never been happier to see a complete stranger as well."

Kurt began to blush and darted his eyes around the foyer, anywhere but into Puck's knowing gaze, "Sam, why don't we go line up for our information booklets?"

The pair walked to the back of the line, noticing Finn was about half way to the desk now. Sam put his hand on Kurt's shoulder, gripping firmly for comfort, as he knew how nervous Kurt was under new conditions, having watched him panic at being on a roller-coaster just 24 hours ago, "So who's the guy?"

Kurt shook his head, "I don't know. I just stood on his foot and so I apologised. Why is that such a big deal?"

"He's a complete stranger who you were staring at. What the hell was going on in your head?"

"I refuse to discuss that with you, Sam."

Sam immediately shot back, teasing Kurt as his cheeks grew redder, "You can pretend that it's nothing if you want, but all us Glee guys can read you like a book, Kurt." Kurt had no response, as Sam continued, "I have a theory that life works in mysterious ways. Maybe McKinley closed down just so you could meet this guy."

Kurt let out a loud guffaw, "No, McKinley closed down because they couldn't afford to improve the health and safety hazards."

Sam shrugged as they reached the front of the queue, "You never know."

They both grabbed their information packs and immediately flicked to their room number and names of their roommate. Sam exclaimed excitedly, "Sweet. I'm with Joe Hart in room 20. I love that guy."

Kurt sighed half-heartedly, "Well, at least I'm next door to you. I'm with some guy called Blaine Anderson in room 21."

They set off towards the stairs, looking at the map within their information booklets to find their room. Finn was waiting at the top of the grand marble staircase, leaning against a trophy case. Kurt scolded Finn, "You do realise that that trophy probably means something?"

Finn replied, "Chill, this glass is solid. Anyway, it's not like I was putting any real weight against it. My shoulder was barely touching."

Kurt narrowed his eyes before Sam interrupted the sibling squabble, "What room are you in?"

Finn flicked through his information booklet to remind himself of what he had read a minute ago, "Room 22 with Puck."

"I better not hear you two getting rowdy after light's out." Kurt sighed, a bit annoyed at how he had the two loudest friends he had in the room next door. He continued, "No loud music either."

Finn smirked, "We'll see."

Sam cut in, gently nudging Kurt with his elbow, "It's not like you'll care anyway, Kurt. You'll be too busy looking for that guy to make out with."

Finn raised an eyebrow, much like in the way Puck and Sam had done downstairs a few minutes previously, "Already, dude? That's not like you at all."

Kurt protested, "I stood on the guy's foot, so I said I was sorry. Nothing happened."

Sam joined in with the smirking, "You were basically undressing him with your eyes. Deny it all you want, but Puck and I saw it ourselves."

Kurt turned on his heel, and called back to them as he began to jog down the hallway in order to avoid the conversation from continuing, at least whilst he was there, "I'm going to go unpack and meet my roommate for my junior year."

* * *

He turned the key in the lock on his bedroom door, slowly pushing it open to reveal a bedroom with two single beds, two desks and two small wardrobes. It was small and cosy and he just hoped that he was going to get along with his roommate. Although there was no sign of the guy, there was evidence he had been here, having claimed one of the desks already but not a bed.

Kurt wheeled his bag over to the unclaimed desk and placed it underneath before scoping out the room in full detail. He opened the wardrobes to find they were empty. His roommate was clearly considerate enough to wait so they could discuss who got which bed and wardrobe, but clearly needed to put his stuff somewhere for the time being until Kurt arrived.

As Kurt advanced back over to his bag to retrieve his phone charger, he noticed a Vogue magazine had been tossed lazily onto his roommate's desk's chair. His roommate liked Vogue? From that second on, Kurt knew that no matter how annoying his roommate was, they always had some common interest he would be able to relate back to. Kurt had two ambitions in life: to perform on Broadway, hopefully with his best girl Rachel, or to work in fashion. Either way, he had to end up in New York. He just had to.

He left his thought behind, continuing over to his bag and began to rummage for his phone charger. Suddenly a familiar voice spoke behind him, "Well if it isn't the guy who stepped on my foot."

Kurt gulped slightly, his eyes widening at the realisation of who his roommate was. It could have only been him. It was almost too cliché to be true. He spun around on the spot, hesitating with replying, "You're my roommate for this year?"

Blaine closed the door with his hip before extending a hand to greet Kurt. Kurt gladly shook his hand in response. Blaine smiled, "My name's Blaine."

Kurt couldn't trust himself to form a full sentence so he weakly replied, "Kurt."

Blaine smiled as he released Kurt's hand, "So honestly, I'm not fussed with which bed I sleep in, so I left it to your decision."

Kurt replied, "I'll just take the one nearest my desk."

Blaine nodded, "Okay, that's a good idea."

There was a short silence as they both laid out their pyjamas on their respective beds so that way they could just slip into them quickly and get to bed as soon as they could, especially considering they were already tired from today's back to school events and nothing had really happened. Blaine fell onto his bed, causing the mattress to bounce slightly, "So how come I haven't seen you at Dalton before?"

Kurt smiled at Blaine's attempt at a conversation as he began to hang up his clothes, therefore claiming a wardrobe, "I just transferred here. My last school shut down because of lack of funding for health and safety."

Blaine replied nonchalantly, "Ah, you're one of the McKinley transfers."

Kurt raised an eyebrow and looked up at Blaine from concentrating on hanging up clothes, "How did you know?"

"We had a letter during summer vacation about how boarding room arrangements were going to be different this year, allowing McKinley transfers a chance at staying together to make your transition easier."

Kurt snorted slightly, "Well, look how that worked out? My stepbrother is with his best friend. The two Christian transfers are together. I'm pretty sure that the other two transfers I know of are together. Under what circumstances is the roommate pairings agreed on anyway by admissions staff?"

Blaine chuckled, "It has a lot to do with similar interests, hence why you had to express your interests on your school transfer application."

Kurt perched on the end of Blaine's bed, not sure if they knew each other well enough to be sitting this close, but Blaine didn't protest or seem to become guarded. Kurt looked straight into Blaine's eyes, melting inside at the depth the shades of hazel went to. He replied, a little confused, "So you're telling me you like singing, glee club, musicals, Harry Potter, fashion..."

Blaine interrupted, "hanging out with friends, grabbing coffee, acting and movies? Yeah, pretty much."

Kurt was almost certain that at some point between opening the front door to the boarding house and realising that Finn was about to walk off without him, he had died. The guy he was sitting with in his bedroom right now was perfect. He was gorgeous; he couldn't deny himself that thought, and his friends had clearly noticed he felt that way. But now he knew a little bit about Blaine, he was almost certainly falling for this guy, and he had barely known him for 15 minutes. It was like an angel had been sent into his life for being so patient socially, even when times got really tough for him, almost too tough for him to handle.

Kurt composed himself quickly, "Blaine, I think we could have a beautiful friendship."

Blaine let out a loud laugh, unable to contain his amusement at Kurt's comment, "For all you know, I could snore. Think about the sleepless nights. I'm sure we wouldn't be friends on that basis."

Kurt joined in laughing, both boys already feeling comfortable enough around each other to know that this year's room share was going to be fine. Kurt had absolutely nothing to worry about.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door before it was carefully swung open, the person behind it clearly apprehensive due to the laughter in the room. Kurt looked over at the door, his laughter beginning to settle down. Puck poked his head through the crack between the door and the door frame, causing Kurt to burst into laughter once more and was barely able to say, "You look like your head is floating."

Puck replied, "I was coming to check on you, Hummel, considering that from next door it sounds like two hyenas are in here and I was just checking none had snuck in and killed your pale ass." His eyes widened at the sight of Blaine sitting up from his previously laying down position he had gotten into from lying back laughing. Puck began to stutter, "Well, it's nice to know that you and your roommate are getting along. I'll just be going now."

"Puck, wait." Kurt's tone sounded more authoritative than he meant it to.

Puck opened the door fully, shrugging his shoulders, "What?"

Kurt turned to Blaine, "Blaine, this is my stepbrother's best friend, Noah Puckerman. Puck, this is my new weekday roommate, Blaine Anderson."

Blaine nodded as a greeting, "Hey Noah."

Puck replied, a little irritation in his voice, "Please Anderson, call me Puck. I hate being called Noah."

Blaine furrowed his brow, "Only if you call me Blaine."

"Deal."

Suddenly, the three boys heard someone else call from next door, "Puck! Put your shoes somewhere which isn't in the middle of the floor!"

Puck breathed in deeply, replying to the voice, "I'll be there in a sec." He briefly addressed Kurt, "I think you've rubbed some of your tidiness rules onto your bro."

And with that, Puck closed the door behind him and walked back to his room, leaving Kurt and Blaine alone once more. Kurt turned back to Blaine, "One rule I have. If this room is not at least a little tidy, I will have a rant riot."

Blaine chuckled lightly, leaning forward slightly, "Noted. Room stays tidy or else I see what must be the only bad side to you."

Kurt shot back, "Oh, there's more than one bad side to me." He winked, before darting his eyes away. What had he just done?

Blaine shifted a little on the bed, lazily biting his bottom lip, "Oh really now?"

Kurt replied, half awkwardly, half flirtatiously, "I'm just saving those for someone special."

Kurt couldn't believe what he was saying. Where did these thoughts come from? He would have never said anything like that back at McKinley. But then again, there was no one he'd want to say things like that to.

His eyes widened as he looked away, a moment of realisation hitting him. He didn't even know if this guy swung for his team. If the Vogue magazine was any indication to go by, then he was, definitely. But for all Kurt knew, he could just be a straight guy with some stereotypically gay interests. He shook his head, judging himself for jumping to conclusions. Blaine noticed and asked, "What's wrong?"

Kurt looked up and smiled at Blaine, liking the fact that Blaine already seemed to care on some level. "It's just different being here." He quickly lied.

Blaine reached over and stroked Kurt's arm, "You'll get used to it. I'll help you through it."

And then he smiled. The cheeky bastard was smiling at him. Again. Kurt turned away, trying to cover up his furious blushing. He thought it went unnoticed but he wasn't sure.

The mattress bounced underneath Kurt as Blaine stood up, extending a hand in front of Kurt, "Come on. Let's go get dinner. I know the best table to sit at in the dining room. You'll like it."

Kurt took his hand and pulled down to lift himself up onto his feet. He dropped his hand by his side, careful to not come on too strong. He sighed, "You lead the way. I have no idea where we are going."

Blaine advanced across the room and opened the door, his hips gently swaying as he did. Kurt's heart skipped a beat as he briefly checked out Blaine's ass. This room arrangement wasn't going to work. Blaine was going to catch him doing this at one point or another and things were going to get awkward. With his luck, Kurt knew that it would be before orientation week was over. He wasn't even going to make it as far as the beginning of the semester before applying to transfer to yet another school. He was going to have to be more subtle or stop these feelings all together. But deep down he knew that neither of these were going to happen.

* * *

Blaine walked into the dining room, his new roommate following close behind. He took a second to soak in the currently empty state of one of the many rooms he had missed so much during summer vacation. It was just as he remembered it: the solid oak tables and benches all neatly lined up in several rows, the balcony where the teachers sat to eat, the maple wood walls glossed over with a light coat of clear paint, the black granite floors, the portraits of all the principals ever to have been employed at Dalton Academy, and the ceiling-to-floor rectangular windows. To Blaine, this dining room meant so much to him. This was the place where the Warbler council first approached him having burst out in song in the middle of breakfast one morning. This was the place where he met new people after feeling so alone having moved in for an entire semester, not even leaving for weekends. Dalton was his home - only going back to his brother's house during vacations because it was an obligation to leave campus.

Blaine automatically went to the seat where he was first invited to audition for the Warblers, the Dalton glee club. He had sat in that seat for every meal during last academic year ever since the invitation, and he was already starting to make sure that he'd sit in that spot every meal time this year too. He sat down, Kurt sliding across the bench so he was sitting next to him. Blaine turned and leant an elbow on the table, resting his hand under his chin, "So this is the dining room. We come here for every breakfast and dinner during the academic year, with lunch being in the main building's lunch hall."

Kurt nodded in response, "Okay cool. So why are these the best seats in the house?"

Blaine replied automatically, "Well, it's practically in the centre, meaning that you can get up to talk to anyone and have to walk the same distance. The lighting is not too bright or too dark. Plus, I've had so many good memories sitting here that I consider sitting here to be a happy time."

Kurt smiled, "What memories?"

Blaine couldn't help but let his heart flutter at the idea that his new roommate was trying to keep conversation going in order to get to know him. They were going to be spending the entire academic year bunking together after all so I suppose it was for the best. One of them had to keep up the conversation after all. Even though Blaine appeared calm and collected in the bedroom, the nervousness he felt around Kurt was the same as when he first enrolled at Dalton Academy. Blaine thought it was probably just because he was such good friends with his last roommate, Jeff, and meeting someone new was exciting. But he couldn't help but take in full detail the features his new roommate had. Twinkling blue eyes. Tall brown hair, coiffed to perfection, not a hair out of place. Pale skin without a blemish in sight. A high dreamy voice which he was almost certain sounded even better when singing; he should encourage Kurt to audition for the Warblers. Maybe it was the fact that Blaine hadn't gone out with anyone since the Sadie Hawkins dance in middle school two years ago, but in any he was having feelings he knew he'd regret sooner or later. Although Kurt had an unusually high pitched voice for a guy of their age, Blaine was almost certain that Kurt was straight. Plain and simple. He always liked the straight guys. Just his luck.

Blaine collected his thoughts and replied, "Well, I found my calling in this very seat. My last roommate, Jeff, dared me to sing at breakfast one day early in last year's first semester, and I got an invitation to audition for the Warblers... Dalton's Glee club. Here's a crazy idea but what if you came and auditioned on the first day of the semester? It's a lot of fun to be a part of, plus you get to spend more time with me." He winked, but at the same time, he wanted to hit his head against the table. How could he have been so stupid?

Kurt giggled, although his eyes were fixated on the main doors of dining hall, "Well, I'll have to see. I hear the standard here is a lot higher than in the New Directions, and we used to have some pretty solid singers."

Blaine went to reply but was cut short by Puck and who Blaine could only assume was Kurt's stepbrother sitting down opposite them. Puck greeted them with a nod, "Sup neighbours?"

Kurt replied nonchalantly, "Not a lot. Hungry, but nothing a little dinner can't solve." He paused, noticing that Finn was staring at Blaine and decided to introduce them, "Finn, my roommate Blaine. Blaine, my ever annoying stepbrother."

Blaine reached across the table and shook Finn's hand, before dropping it down onto the table lazily, "Nice to meet you, Finn."

Finn half smirked in response, "You too." Finn narrowed his eyes at Kurt, "Totally not cool, dude. You're just as annoying."

Kurt snarled back, "At least I don't play drums at 3 every morning when on vacation"

Puck interjected, "Guys, chill. You're at high school now, not at home. At least try to get along."

Finn began a conversation with Puck about how that thought might not have been an achievable goal. Meanwhile, Blaine turned back to Kurt, "So, Warblers audition? What do you say?"

Kurt placed his hand on top of Blaine's, which was still resting on the table. He looked into Blaine's eyes. Blaine's brain short-circuited at just how beautiful his roommate's eyes were. He didn't register Kurt's reply, as Kurt questioned, "Blaine? Are you okay?"

Blaine shook his head to compose himself, "Yeah sorry. Just spaced out. Tired and everything from moving back here today. What did you say?"

Kurt chuckled slightly under his breath as he replied, "I will audition if you help me practise."

Blaine smiled and placed his other hand on top of Kurt's, lightly stroking the top of Kurt's. It didn't go unnoticed by anyone sitting at the table: Kurt, Finn, Puck and two other guys who had joined them, one in a wheelchair and one with black messy hair, were all looking at the pile of hands on top of the table as Blaine replied, pretending not to feel uncomfortable by everyone staring, "Deal."

He quickly retreated his hands and looked away from everyone briefly, a little flustered by the moment he had just had with Kurt. Blaine had to admit it - it wasn't new roommate nerves; it was the fact that he liked a guy he met an hour, for basically no real reason at all. This wasn't normal behaviour for Blaine. He had crushes all the time, especially since enrolling at Dalton last autumn, but they took weeks to develop. This one had hit him like a train without brakes, and he had to do everything in his power to make it stop. It wasn't fair on himself, as he knew he'd end up broken-hearted, and it wasn't fair on Kurt, as he would be the one doing the heart breaking, which probably feels bad. Not that Blaine would know; he always accepted a date request because he was a big believer in taking chances because the future's unknown. But in this situation, he was almost certain that he knew how this was going to end. Kurt was going to find out about Blain's feelings one way or another and the roommate compatibility noted by Dalton Academy admissions staff would go down the toilet, leaving Blaine and Kurt in a tricky situation for at least the rest of the semester, if not the rest of the academic year.

Blaine was jolted out of this thought process by someone placing a plate of food in front of him. Dalton's roast dinners were always delicious and the smell was beyond mouth-watering. He immediately stabbed his knife and fork into his beef chunk and listened in on the conversation Kurt and his McKinley friends were having without joining in himself. He didn't trust himself to have any interaction with the people surrounding him right now, as he felt he took the hand holding one step too far. The only way Blaine could have been more obvious is if a neon sign flashed above his head, 'Kurt, you're hot!'

So instead, he sat in silence, thinking to himself ways of holding himself back when conversing with Kurt and his McKinley friends, and there were plenty, but he wasn't sure whether he'd have the willpower to enforce any of these actions, because when Blaine begins falling for someone, there is no stopping it from happening, no matter how hard he tried.

* * *

_Dear Journal,_

_I'm back at Dalton, finally. Summer vacation is too long. I suppose that it is technically still summer vacation but orientation week has now officially begun. I know I don't have to be here, but I want to be. I'm finally home. I've been waiting for this day for 97 days, not that I was counting or anything. Just 6 more until the semester officially begins and I can return to the classroom. Okay, so that's not the highlight to being here, but it's still more enjoyable than staying with Cooper in Cincinnati. If my parents weren't in Japan, developing a new type of cancer then they would probably make the vacations bearable, but I'm pretty sure I'd still prefer to be here._

_Today, I was the only returning student to arrive. Freshmen and transfers alike have all moved in because it's mandatory, but all my friends and fellow Warblers have yet to show their faces in the boarding house. In a way, it's a relief as it makes it a little easier to settle down, without any sudden announcements of impromptu Warbler performances in the senior common room in the main building, or unexpected parties one of the boarding house's lounges. However, there are also the down points: I'm back to feeling alone like last year, where everyone knew each other from previous schooling, whilst I came from Cincinnati by myself. I suppose it gives me a chance to get to know more of my peers for the upcoming semester, but it's daunting being the only one there to do it._

_Okay, I need to write my feelings down about something that went down today. My roommate stepped on my foot. I know that doesn't sound like much, but it was sorta how we met, and from the second I looked into his eyes to accept his apology, I regret doing so. Imagine an angel which has fallen from heaven. Did you imagine a slender build, pale flawless skin, gorgeous glasz eyes (I've literally never seen so many shades in one iris before), light pink slender smooth lips and the most stylish brown hair you have seen since nearly forever? Well, that's my roommate, Kurt. My 75% positively straight roommate. I wouldn't say I love him (that would make me delusional - I've only known him 5 hours) but I wouldn't say that I don't have some sort of feelings for him as well. I wouldn't ever admit this to anyone else, but I like him. That's a secret, so keep it quiet. Who am I kidding? You're a notebook. You can't talk._

_He has the same interests as me as well. He started to list them earlier and I finished the list for him, all of which he agreed to. It's actually scary. I was freaking out on the inside when I discovered just how similar we really are. And I put it to good use by persuading him to audition for the Warblers on the first day of the official semester, just so I can spend more time with him. I know my intentions are selfish, but I need to spend more time with him than a couple of hours a day after we've just woken up and just before we go bed. There's always helping each other with homework as well, but he seems like the kind of guy who appears to enjoy working solo. So I'm trying to get all time I can so I can get to know him more and continue spending enough time with him even if it's just to become good friends. That would be enough for me, because that would probably end my crush on him, like with Wes last year. God I hope that's what happens, or he is magically gay and likes me. It won't happen but a guy can dream._

_Anyway, I'm tired. It's been a long day travelling and moving so I'm going to hit the hay._

_- Blaine_

* * *

_Dear Journal,_

_So here I am: Dalton Academy boarding house. It's official. Reality hit me today: McKinley is gone, New Directions have been disbanded and I'm now at an all-boys private high school with my previous male glee club friends who are unlikely to last one week in a school without girls. In my opinion, there's going to be less drama this year. Just think: no more teen pregnancies; no more jealousy about relationships; no more girly whining when someone doesn't get their own way. Things are surprisingly going to be less stressful in some respects. Just me and the guys having some good times at our new school. _

_There is still an issue which needs to be addressed: I'm a gay guy in an all-boys school, so hopefully this gives me a wider range of guys to choose from, assuming that some of them are gay. I mean, there have to be. There's almost 700 students who come to this school, just under half of which are boarders. _

_I'm hoping that my roommate, Blaine, is gay. Yes, I got separated from everyone else, but there was an odd number of us and there are only two beds per room, so it had to be someone and just my luck, it was me. Besides, it wasn't our decisions at the end of the day: it was Dalton's admissions office. But back to Blaine, that boy is flawless. I don't need to explain myself but he's the most beautiful person I have ever seen and has a personality of gold. Oh, and we both like doing the same things. Surely that should mean that we both swing that way if we have similar interests. I can't afford to think like this. _

_Okay, I think I need to calm this right down and hold my horses. I'm jumping to conclusions and last time that happened, I made Finn feel very uncomfortable, which I still regret but like I've said before and I'll say again, we're cool now, acting as if we've been brothers forever._

_But I digress. I need sleep for tomorrow's welcome assembly. I don't want to be sleeping in that assembly, but maybe the rest of the assemblies throughout the year should just be renamed to student nap time whilst the principal talks about a current world issue._

_Okay, I need to shut up now and try to sleep, even if Blaine has just turned over in his sleep and I can now see his peaceful face still looking stunning. Would it be kinda weird to watch him sleep? Yes, definitely._

_- Kurt_

* * *

**A/N: **Hey, please review and let me know where I can improve or if there is suggestion regarding this fanfic :) Hope you liked this opening chapter ~ foreveragleek44_  
_


	2. Chapter 2

_Student Orientation - Day 2_

_Good morning, students. We hope that your first night staying at Dalton was pleasant. We're all sure you slept well considering that moving day is always considered stressful. However, if there have been any issues so far then please contact a member of staff in the boarding house office or the staff quarters (see campus map for locations)_

_Please be advised that breakfast this week and every weekend is 8.00-10.00, and 6.00-8.00 during semester weekdays. Please also be advised that dinner is 18.30-21.30 every evening. Snacks are available throughout this week and during the weekends from the boarding house evening lounge bar (see campus map)_

_Today will be your first assembly. This will consist of a message from me and a few staff notes as well as going over the emergency procedures enclosed in this pack. This assembly will be in the auditorium from 11.00-12.00, where you will then be taken on a tour of our school by a member of staff. This will also give you time to ask any questions you may have about our school and also get to know some of your peers. You will then be taken to the lunch room at 13.00 to have lunch. You will then have free time until 16.00 where you will then congregate in the boarding house library for an introduction to ideal homework timings and rules of the library, which will also apply to the main building library._

_All students must wear their uniform today until after the library introduction, where students have the option of wearing a jumper or a blazer or both, but all students must look presentable as if they were attending lessons for the day._

_We hope you find today informative and fun. This day is just as much about meeting new people as it is getting to know our school._

_Please note that during the semester, lights out is by 23.00 every weeknight, and 01.00 on the weekends._

_Have a nice day,_

_Mr. H Thornton_

_Your Principal_

* * *

Blaine and Kurt sat down for breakfast at the same table as they had sat at for dinner last night, Blaine still sitting in his favourite spot, with Sam and Joe sitting opposite. They all had decided on having a bowl of Lucky Charms for breakfast, but Blaine added extra sugar.

Kurt looked at him inquisitively as Blaine ate his sickly sweet cereal, "How can you possibly eat that? It's making my teeth itch just thinking about it."

He continued to watch Blaine, who he could tell had enough manners to swallow before talking. Blaine replied, "Since I've been living with my brother for three months, I've got used to putting sugar on my cereal, no matter what it is."

Kurt shook his head as he scooped up another spoonful for himself, "It's a bad habit. From now on, I'm going to stop you from putting sugar on your breakfast."

Blaine smirked, "I'd like to see you try."

Kurt snatched Blaine's spoon from him and passed it over the table to Joe. Joe raised an eyebrow but took the spoon anyway, adding to the conversation, "You are so immature, Hummel."

Kurt swallowed his cereal and patted his friend (were Blaine and him friends?) on the shoulder, "I'd like to see him eat his cereal now."

Blaine darted his eyes between the 3 guys surrounding him, Sam trying so hard not to chuckle as he thought about what he would do in the situation: use his hands. But Blaine had other ideas. Next thing the other three boys knew, Blaine had his face in the bowl, as he desperately tried to continue his breakfast. Kurt exclaimed, "Oh my dear god! Your skin is going to be ruined!"

Joe and Sam had meanwhile burst out laughing at the scene that had just unfolded in front of them. Blaine lifted his head up, his face dripping in milk and covered in marshmallow and cereal bits, grinning widely at Kurt, who looked horrified at what had just happened, "I didn't want to have to do that. I'm going to have acne for days, but it was worth it just to see the look on your face."

Kurt grabbed a napkin in his hand and began to dry Blaine off, smiling as he did because his roommate was just trying to be funny after all. Kurt tossed the napkin into his now empty bowl before tackling Blaine on the bench. Blaine laughed whilst trying to fight Kurt off, "What the hell are you doing?"

Kurt smirked back as he held Blaine in place on the bench, straddling his roommate's legs as he did, "Getting you back for making me worry about you."

Blaine whined happily, "Aw, you're worried about me? How sweet!"

Kurt blushed furiously, but kept his cool whilst talking, "Actually, I'm worried that I'm going to have you complaining about acne every evening for the next week."

Blaine's grin grew, "Yeah, sure. Because my cheeks turn that red when I worry about how someone's going to complain at me."

Suddenly, Puck sat down on the bench next to where Kurt was tackling Blaine, "Okay, I'm pretty sure that this isn't appropriate for the breakfast table."

Kurt jumped off of Blaine and sat back normally, a little embarrassed by what he had just done. He didn't regret it though. He enjoyed being playful with Blaine. He enjoyed spending as much time as he could with him too.

Finn sat down opposite Puck, already in his Dalton uniform for the day, "Dudes, can you please not do the whole touch-y feel-y flirting when there are people around?"

Blaine sat up, protesting, "That wasn't flirting. That was banter."

Sam swallowed his mouthful of cereal, replying to Blaine's comment with sarcasm, "Yes, because that's totally what it looked like, guys."

Blaine started to blush too, reaching over for Kurt's spoon, wiping it with a napkin and then digging back into his cereal. He could feel Kurt's eyes narrowing but he quickly changed the subject before Kurt could argue with him about lack of manners, "Finn, you don't have to be in your uniform yet. Didn't you notice Puck leaving in what I can only assume are his pyjamas?"

Finn replied, "Well, my girlfriend Rachel is meeting me in the parking lot from 9 til 11, so I'm not going to have time to get into my uniform and be on time to see her or go to assembly. I'm going there as soon as I've finished eating this."

Kurt shook his head, judging his stepbrother, "It's not even been a day. You saw her yesterday afternoon. How could you possibly want to see her again already?"

Finn sighed, "She's gone to West Lima High now. She's still at home and I'm here. She could find a new guy whilst I'm away every week. I need to keep reminding her about us."

Puck replied, "This is why you get the opportunity to go home at the weekends. An opportunity I'm sure you'll take advantage of."

Blaine interjected, "Trust me, Finn. If you have something to go home to then it's best you do. Personally, I stay here but that's because my brother's job as a TV commercial actor is unpredictable. But you almost certainly have other family than just Kurt and you have a girlfriend. Just let yourself concentrate during the week and before you know it, you'll be home for the weekend."

Finn nodded, "Noted. But she's driven all this way. I'm still going to see her." He got up and continued, "I'm going to start heading over now, so I'll meet you all in the auditorium."

Puck shook his head as Finn walked off, "Promise me you guys don't go all girl crazy on me. I had him bouncing off the walls last night at the idea he was going to get to see Rachel today."

Kurt rolled his eyes, and looked at Blaine out of the corner of his eye, "I definitely won't."

Blaine leant backwards to speak to Puck, "Don't worry. I don't swing that way."

Sam's, Joe's and Puck's eyes all widened. This was just too good to be true. Kurt's mouth fell open in shock. Did he just suggest he was gay? What? Kurt stuttered, "I've never known someone to be so open about being gay before. At McKinley, we gay kids had to stay closeted or be bullied."

Blaine shrugged indifferently, "0% tolerance of bullying at Dalton. Everyone's unique and we embrace that. You could come out here and people would congratulate you for being so brave about it."

Kurt smiled, "Definitely my kind of place then."

Blaine placed a hand on Kurt's knee and gently squeezed it, "Even if that wasn't the case though, Kurt, you could have still told me. I wouldn't have judged you."

Kurt was barely able to reply with Blaine's hand travelling up his leg. He twisted away slightly so his legs were facing Puck. He sighed with relief before replying, "Easy for you to say. You admitted it to us so easily expecting us to not judge."

Sam beamed, "We're clearly just trustworthy people."

Blaine nodded in agreement, "I already consider you to be my friends, so there's no reason I should hide anything like that from you."

There were mumbles of agreement from everyone around the table before Blaine stood up and looked down at Kurt, "I'm going back to our room. You coming with me or you going to stay for a bit?"

Kurt leant his elbows on the table, "I'll be up in a second. I just need to talk to these guys about Finn's birthday."

Blaine patted Kurt on the shoulder in an understanding way before walking off towards the room. Kurt hit his head on the table, causing the other three to jump at the noise. Puck attempted to rub Kurt's back in comfort but Kurt slapped his hand away. He just needed a minute. Blaine was gay? Blaine is a gay guy who Kurt likes? Kurt likes a gay guy? It was such a perfect situation.

He sat up straight, the other three looking at him, waiting for him to say something, anything. He sighed happily, "So there's this guy I like at this school and I know that he's gay, and I don't want to mess it up. What do I do?"

Joe smiled, "Good for you. Love is love."

Kurt raised an eyebrow, "Love? I never said anything about love. I just want to go out with him. Jeez. Calm down, Joe."

Sam dropped his spoon into his empty bowl with a clatter and leant forward to talk to Kurt, "Here's what you do, okay? Just continue what you are currently doing."

Kurt questioned, confused, "How will that help?"

Puck let out a snort, "If that wasn't flirting I sat down to, I don't know what is."

Kurt blushed a little again, "Like he said, that was just banter."

Puck fired back, "Yes, because I'd totally do that with any of the guys."

"Okay, point proven. Do you really think I should just keep going with this then?"

The other three boys shouted, "Yes!"

Sam looked around to see several sets of eyes on them now, so he leant in and whispered, "Each time you flirt, just let it vary. Make it more subtle than you have been for now and then let it escalate over the course of the semester. By fall break, he'll want you."

Puck used the same hushed tone as Sam, "I'm not going to jump to conclusions, but he looked pretty happy with what you guys were doing before."

Kurt nodded, "So if he enjoys it, then I should keep doing it." Everyone nodded in agreement to his comment, as he continued, "Okay, thank you. Now if you don't mind, gentlemen, I have to choose how to style my hair today so I'm going back to my room."

He got up and walked off, hearing Puck call after him, "Don't forget to let him help."

Kurt thought to himself because, "No one touches my hair. No one."

* * *

Blaine rushed into the room and slammed the door behind him, before leaning against it and taking a deep breath in. He was so grateful that Kurt had stayed behind even though it was had nothing to do with him as to why he stayed. Blaine needed a minute. He needed to calm down after everything which had happened.

He just came right out with the fact that he was gay, which was entirely the opposite of playing it cool. He just ruined his skin in an attempt to make Kurt laugh, only to then have his face wiped dry by him. But most importantly, that tackle onto the bench made his heart pound so much, and it was still beating impossibly fast. And yet he didn't seem to mind. He had enjoyed it, despite now wishing it had never happened as it only set him up for worse heartbreak. What made it worse was when he was looking into his roommate's eyes back in the dining room, he saw a glint of desperation. What did this mean? He was probably just desperate that Blaine got the message of no more shoving his face in cereal. He heard that loud and clear and would be reminded of it for the next week whenever he looked in the mirror.

He walked over to the bed and sat down, putting his head in his knees and being alone with his thoughts for a few minutes until Kurt returned so that he could lock the door to get dressed without locking Kurt out.

He needed to relieve himself from whatever emotion he was feeling. It was a strong emotion, somewhere between liking and longing, and Blaine knew that as it built up over the next few months, it would become a much stronger emotion, regardless of whether or not he became good friends with Kurt, because Kurt just seemed... different. Blaine knew the quickest way to relieve himself of any emotion: through song. He took in a deep breath and...

The door opened. Blaine let out a quiet frustrated moan as he lifted his head up to see Kurt in the doorway. Kurt lightly closed the door, asking, "Are you okay?"

Blaine nodded as Kurt gave him a knowing look. Kurt rolled his eyes and walked over to Blaine, crouching down in front of him, "I know you're not, and as your roommate and friend, I want to help."

Blaine smiled lazily, "I just have a headache. It's nothing."

Blaine hated lying as it was, but there was something about lying to Kurt that made him feel ten times worse than when he usually did. Kurt stood up and walked over to his wardrobe to change into his uniform. Blaine decided it was best to do the same even though he technically didn't have to go through orientation again. He just wanted to be there to make sure that Kurt was settling in fine. The routine was the same as last year: trousers, belt, shirt, tie, jumper and/or blazer (today he just went for the blazer), socks, shoes, done. Only today, it went a little bit differently.

Blaine stood facing the mirror on the inside of the wardrobe door, tie around neck, but was having problems in tying it. He was so used to bow ties from over summer vacation that he was confused by a school tie. He fumbled in another attempt to tie it. And another attempt. And another.

Suddenly, two hands were on top of his, with Kurt chuckling behind him, "You're useless. Here, let me help."

Blaine half-smiled into the mirror, accepting defeat, "If you insist."

Kurt reached around Blaine and tied his tie for him, unable to stop himself from smirking as he did, "You're like 16 years old. How can you not do this?"

Blaine corrected him, "15 years old. I'm 16 in a month."

Kurt rested his chin on Blaine's shoulder, "That makes little difference. It's a tie."

"I knew how to do one. Summer vacation just warped my mind." He paused to look at their reflection in the mirror and realised just how natural it felt. He continued nonchalantly, "Thank you for reminding me. Maybe you should help me with things more often."

Kurt lifted his chin off of Blaine's shoulder and walked back to his hung up navy Dalton jumper, sliding it over his head carefully so he didn't ruin his hair. He stated cockily, "Maybe I should teach you how to do your hair. Sleekly gelled? Seriously?"

Blaine protested, "You actually can't do anything else with it. It's this or an afro."

Kurt rolled his eyes, "I'll believe that when I see it."

Blaine bit his lip, "Good luck with that. We agreed on an alarm time last night, yeah?" He paused until Kurt nodded, "I automatically wake up an hour before any alarm. I don't know why. I just do. In that time, I wash my hair and then re-gel so no one ever sees my overly wild curls."

Kurt narrowed his eyes, "I have my ways of keeping you in bed until I wake up."

Blaine took a step closer to Kurt as he sprayed his hair with hairspray once more. Blaine teased, "What you going to do? Tie me to my bed?"

Kurt grinned, "We Hummels never give away our secrets."

Kurt's phone buzzed on his bedside table. Kurt let out a frustrated sigh, much like Blaine did just as Kurt entered the room a while ago. He picked up the phone and answered it, "What do you want, Finn? ... No! ... Tell her I'll see her at the weekend. ... I don't care! ... Uh, fine! But in return, you have to give me advice on, er..." His eyes darted towards Blaine, but Blaine was too busy checking his shoes weren't scuffed; wouldn't want to start the year with scuffed shoes, "... on something. I'll explain later ... I'm in my room with Blaine. I'm going to be a few minutes ... Okay, see you soon."

Kurt hung up the phone and placed it in his pocket. He let out another frustrated sigh, "My stepbrother's girlfriend wants me to go to the parking lot to see her. Wanna come with? We have, like, an hour before assembly."

Blaine smiled, "Yeah sure. I'll drive."

Kurt raised an eyebrow, "Very funny. Let's get walking."

Blaine chuckled as he opened the door, "There are buggies, you know. Students get trained to drive them so during off-peak times and in colder weather, we can get across campus more quickly."

Kurt walked through the doorway with a thank you nod and replied, "Okay then, let's be unhealthy and drive."

Blaine chuckled, "You'll thank me later."

* * *

"Blaine! You're going too fast! Stay on the track!"

Blaine's driving was manic. Kurt was almost certain that today he was going to die, in this buggy, because of the speed and swerving Blaine was causing. Blaine hesitantly lifted his foot off the gas pedal a little so that they were going at a sensible speed. Kurt let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you. Jesus, were you trying to kill us?"

Blaine let out a laugh, "I had full control over it." Kurt lightly shoved Blaine, causing the buggy to swerve and Kurt to squeal. Blaine continued, rolling his eyes, "That was your fault."

Kurt shook his head, "Next time, I'm driving."

"You can't. You've not had buggy introduction yet."

Kurt protested, "Okay then, I'll walk."

Blaine grinned widely, teasing Kurt, "No you won't, because you want to spend time with your roommate. Let's be honest, you want to spend more time with me than you let on."

Kurt could feel himself beginning to blush as they turned the corner jerkily. He wasn't sure whether to be mad at Blaine because he was right or happy because it appeared that Blaine wanted to spend time with him too. He was definitely glad to see the parking lot now in sight as it meant that there would be other people around and Blaine might calm down a little, meaning Kurt would stop blushing. He turned to look at Blaine as he continued to drive, only to find Blaine was briefly looking over at him. Kurt snapped his head away, blushing even more than he thought was ever possible.

Blaine said in defeat, "Okay, so maybe I want to spend the time with you too, but that's only so I can be good friends with my roommate like I was last year."

Blaine slowly let the buggy grind to a halt as they reached the edge of the parking lot. Kurt immediately jumped out and scoped the area to see Finn and Rachel sitting under a tree nearby. He had never been so relieved to see them.

He started across the parking lot, leaving Blaine behind, and he heard Blaine call, "Wait up!"

Kurt didn't wait though. He needed a second to calm down and stop blushing before Blaine actually saw what effect he had had on Kurt during that journey; in fact, this was a build up from this morning and they had barely been up 3 hours, or in Blaine's case, 4.

He arrived at the tree that Finn and Rachel were sitting under. Neither of them jumped up to greet him. He looked down at the couple and said with annoyance, "Do you want me here or not?"

Finn tugged on Kurt's trouser leg, causing his knee to buckle and for him to sit down, whilst saying, "Dude, chill. We want you here. We just-" Finn paused and raised an eyebrow, "Dude, you're blushing."

Kurt closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "Well, let's just say it's been a hell of a morning, and I'm getting to the point where Blaine is going to find out I like him and there's nothing I can do to stop it."

Rachel questioned, "You've been here 18 hours - how can you like someone already?"

Kurt replied quickly in case Blaine was in hearing distance, "He's my gorgeously gay roommate who just so happens to have the same interests as me. Like the exact same."

Finn lowered his voice, "So he is gay?"

Kurt nodded as he felt Blaine's presence looming. Next thing he knew, Blaine sat down next to him, hand planted behind Kurt. Kurt could feel himself tense up a little at the idea of what Blaine might do to him. But Blaine pretended he didn't have intentions and greeted Rachel with a smile, "Hey Rachel, I'm Blaine."

Rachel matched his smile, "Nice to meet you, Blaine."

Suddenly Kurt felt something in the small of his back. Okay, what was going on? It was almost as if Blaine wanted something to happen. Kurt batted Blaine's arm away, giving him an awkward glance out of the corner of his eye before addressing Rachel, "So why did you want me to come here?"

Rachel lazily picked at the grass as she replied, "Just wanted to check you were still alive and well."

Kurt chuckled lightly, "Ah Rachel, I see that in the 18 hours since I last heard from you, your crazy is still there. Well, of course I am. Although I nearly died on the way here. My buggy driver was a bit of a lunatic."

Blaine shoved Kurt teasingly, "C'mon. You loved it really."

Kurt rolled his eyes, "I'll admit I enjoyed it when you slowed down."

Finn scrunched his nose, "Guys, come on, we're here to see Rachel, not argue about how Kurt thinks he almost died and then Blaine disagreeing."

Blaine stuttered, "Yeah, y-y-you're right Finn."

Kurt's heart practically stopped at Blaine's stutter. How was he going to recover from this? That was the most adorable thing Kurt had heard in his life. It was almost as if Blaine was scared of Finn. Why would he be scared of Finn? Finn was just a big teddy bear, who wasn't really a morning person, which had showed throughout the morning as it was already.

The remainder of the hour consisted of Rachel and Finn making out and Kurt and Blaine sitting awkwardly next to each other, both thinking about what it would be like if they were to make out, but neither dared to even think about initiating it. The tension between them got to the point where neither of them could take it anymore. Blaine whispered into Kurt's ear, "Should we begin heading to assembly? I know we've got, like, 15 minutes but... Look, can we just get out of here?"

Kurt nodded in agreement and they both scrambled up to their feet. Kurt lowered his voice so they wouldn't be noticed as they left, "Please don't tell me we're getting back into the death buggy."

Blaine sniggered quietly, "Actually, I was thinking we took a nice roma- nice walk to the main building. I mean, it is just there after all."

The two boys walked off across the parking lot, feeling a little more comfortable than they were a minute ago. But Kurt had questions that needed answering, "Why do you enjoy spending time with me?"

Blaine shrugged and looked at the ground where he was walking, "I just like meeting new people." He paused and looked up at Kurt as they walked, "You look like you have another question."

Kurt nodded as he asked, "What the hell were you doing with your hand on my back?"

Blaine bit his lip and winked, causing Kurt to melt on the inside, "Don't pretend you didn't enjoy it."

Kurt responded, "And how would you know if I did?"

Blaine replied, "I wouldn't. Just thought my irresistible charm would make it impossible for you not to."

Kurt half-smiled, "Someone thinks highly of themselves."

Blaine ran his hand through his gelled hair, "It takes real skill and effort to be this perfect."

Kurt laughed and rolled his eyes, "Hope you're talking about me now."

Blaine raised his eyebrows, surprised Kurt had it in him to reply in that way. He grinned, "You wish."

Kurt lightly pushed Blaine as they reached the courtyard adjacent to the main entrance of the building. Barely anyone was here yet, but there were a few small groups dotted around. Kurt murmured so no one overheard their conversation, "Can't wish for something you already have."

They became very aware of other people being around so they ended the conversation there, especially considering they didn't want to be accused of flirting again, even though it was technically true. So instead, they had a conversation about their summers, both of them discovering that the highlight was the new season of America's Next Top Model finally airing. They had both had pretty uneventful summer vacations, but at least it was a safe conversation between friends, with no intention of anything else happening.

* * *

They walked into the auditorium and immediately, Kurt scanned the room for anyone he knew. It didn't take long for him to see Joe's dreadlocks sprouting from his head, with Mike, Sam and Puck sitting with him, and Artie behind them where wheelchair users were meant to sit. Blaine lightly brush his hand past Kurt's, which to Kurt appeared very deliberate, but he was sure he was just being paranoid. Blaine looked over at their friends, "After you. I'm sure you want to sit next to Puck after all."

Kurt smiled at Blaine and then walked down the aisle and into the row of seats where his friends were sitting, now all dressed neatly in Dalton uniform of various kinds. He unfolded the chair next to Puck and sat down, with Blaine sitting down next to him. Puck asked, "Where have you two been? I went to your room and there was no answer."

Blaine leant forward slightly and replied, "Rachel insisted on seeing Kurt and I tagged along." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Wish I hadn't. Just watched her and Finn sticking their tongues down each other's throats."

Kurt turned to Blaine and placed a hand on Blaine's knee, stroking up and down his leg slightly, "I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't have asked you to come."

Blaine chuckled, "Honestly, it's fine. I agreed to it." Blaine darted his eyes down at the floor for a second and then looked back up at Kurt, "I'm sorry I drove too fast. I didn't mean to make you feel unsafe."

Kurt smiled, "No. I'm sorry I overreacted."

"Are you kidding me? I would have done so too if I didn't know what I was doing. I just forgot you weren't used to the experience yet."

Sam interrupted their conversation, "Hang on, guys. Where's Finn then if you were with him?"

Kurt pulled his hand away from Blaine's leg, suddenly very aware of what he was doing. He replied to distract himself, "Rachel was still attached to him. We left because it was getting beyond uncomfortable."

Puck interjected, "I know what you mean. Been third-wheeling for the whole of summer."

Blaine nudged Kurt's arm, "We were technically four-wheeling."

Kurt let out a laugh, "Remind me never to let us listen to Finn again when he says Rachel wants me to see her."

Blaine nodded, "I will. Trust me, I wouldn't wish that uncomfortable moment on anyone."

Suddenly, the principal stepped out onto the stage. Kurt briefly looked around for Finn, but there was no sign of him anywhere. Finn's lesson attendance was going to be poorer than usual this year, Kurt could tell.

The talk consisted of a welcome from Principal Thornton, followed by a few teachers talking about what was expected from students during the year when staying in the boarding house. All the students then filed out of the auditorium, Finn blending in as if he had been there the whole time. Each of his friends sniggered knowingly, but he just shrugged and continued walking with them as if nothing had happened.

They walked through into the grand foyer of the main building, which was almost identical to the boarding house foyer but much bigger with a late 1800s feel to it.

Blaine stopped Kurt with his hand, holding onto Kurt's elbow. Kurt was not expecting it and jumped slightly, causing Blaine to chuckle before saying, "I'm going to head back to the boarding house. I won't be on any of the lists for the school tour because I already know my way around."

Kurt nodded, understanding that it would also be boring for him, but then again, it was probably going to be boring for everyone, so in a way Blaine was lucky. He sighed in response, "Okay. I'll come find you afterwards. I'll get Finn to bring us a sandwich or something from the lunch hall for us to eat."

Blaine smiled wider, "Sounds good to me. I'll probably be in the ground floor music room practising for the first Warblers performance of the year."

Kurt replied, "Okay, cool. Maybe you could sing to me later." He subtly winked but hoped Blaine saw it. Blaine bit his lip in response; he noticed.

"I don't usually sing to just one person but I suppose I can make an exception just for you."

Kurt darted his eyes over at a man who had just called his name before lifting his hand up to give Blaine a little wave as he began to walk off, "See you soon, Blaine."

Blaine called back, "Miss you already."

He could feel the blood creeping to the surface of his cheeks. Did he really just say that he missed Kurt already?

Blaine thought to himself as he walked out the main door of the building, "That was the cheesiest thing you ever said, Blaine Devon Anderson."

* * *

Blaine sat in the music room, flicking through some music books to find a song to sing. But it wasn't just any song he wanted to sing; he needed to express his emotions. He had never noticed just how many piano books there were in the boarding house music room. He had been flicking through these books for an hour now and knew that Kurt would be here soon. He needed the chance to deal with what he was feeling and he was running out of time fast as he was planning to stay with Kurt for library introduction: the more time with him the better after all.

At last, Blaine had found the perfect song. It wasn't exactly subtle. In fact, it was entirely the opposite of playing it cool, but it wasn't like he was going to be singing to Kurt.

Blaine stood up and walked over to the piano, placing the book on the book stand. He slowly slid himself onto the bench and took a deep breath in. He moved his hands up to the keys and took another deep breath. He was really hoping this would work. Before he had time to think about, he pressed down on the first chord softly. Well, here goes nothing:

_**Excuse me for this,**_

_**I just want a kiss,**_

_**I just want to know what it feels like to touch something so pure, something I'm so sure of,**_

_**What it feels like to stand outside your door.**_

_**I'm unworthy, I can see you're above me,**_

_**But I can be lovely given the chance,**_

Blaine began to play with more passion and energy, feeling his emotions take over completely. He was playing so loudly that he didn't hear the door creak ajar slightly. Kurt peered through the crack, not wanting to disturb something he thought sounded amazing; the most beautiful thing he had ever heard.

_**Don't move, I want to remember you just like this,**_

_**Don't move, it's only a breath or two between our lips.**_

_**I know why you left.**_

_**I can't blame you myself.**_

_**Must be hard living with ghosts and such an empty shell.**_

_**I tried to warn you.**_

_**I've been a mess since you've known me.**_

_**I can't promise forever, but I'm working on it.**_

_**If I can't hold you, can I give you a kiss?**_

_**Can I have a kiss?**_

_**Can I...**_

Kurt grinned cheekily, thinking to himself, "Well, maybe if you just did it instead of asking..." He began to blush as he continued to think, "Stop this, Hummel. He's your friend. Nothing more." He shook his head, "Who are you kidding? You want this."

_**All I have,**_

_**All I can give to you I will.**_

_**Just promise this,**_

_**If I can't have forever, can I have a kiss?**_

_**Don't move, it's only a breath or two between our lips.**_

_**I know why you left.**_

_**I can't blame you myself.**_

_**Must be hard living with ghosts and such an empty shell.**_

_**I tried to warn you.**_

_**I've been a mess since you've known me.**_

_**I can't promise forever, but I'm working on it.**_

_**If I can't hold you, can I give you a kiss?**_

_**Can I give you a kiss?**_

_**Can I, can I, can I have a kiss?**_

Blaine sat at the piano, the room now silent. He half-smiled at himself, quietly saying, "Wonder what the Warblers would say about that."

Kurt opened the door fully, causing Blaine to jump and turn around. He smiled, "Well, one potential Warbler candidate would say that that song was amazing." Blaine sat there, mouth hanging open, shocked that Kurt had heard any of that. Kurt's smile grew, desperately trying to get Blaine to be a part of a conversation, "I didn't know you could play piano."

Blaine said quietly, "Yeah, I do. H-h-how much did you hear of that?

Kurt raised an eyebrow, staring at his roommate. Stuttering again? Was Blaine scared of singing to him now? Kurt replied nonchalantly, "Half the song."

Blaine nodded, "Oh okay."

Kurt advanced over to the piano bench and slid onto it next to Blaine, "I haven't played piano in ages."

Blaine inched a little bit closer to Kurt for the closeness he definitely longed for, "Well, why don't you now?"

Kurt was flabbergasted. It was his turn to stutter, "Wha-wha-what? Right now?" Blaine nodded as Kurt continued, "Oh lord. Okay, I will. Without any music sheets or anything."

Blaine teased, "Trying to upstage me now, Kurt?"

He ignored the comment and positioned his hands over the first keys he would be playing. He took a deep breath in and whispered to himself, "Stop being so nervous. He's your friend. You don't get nervous around friends."

Blaine's lips twitched into an unnoticed smirk as Kurt had whispered louder than he intended to, but he didn't make himself obvious in return. He pretended like he didn't hear it but was asking so many questions in his head.

Kurt pressed down on the keys softly, smoothly transferring onto the next set of notes as he played the introduction to his song. Blaine smiled and nodded, thinking to himself, "Good choice."

Kurt sang:

_**Oh, thinking about our younger years.**_

_**There was only you and me,**_

_**We were young and wild and free.**_

_**Now nothing can take you away from me.**_

_**We've been down that road before, but that's over now.**_

_**You keep me coming back for more.**_

_**Baby, you're all that I want,**_

_**When you're lying here in my arms.**_

_**I'm finding it hard to believe,**_

_**We're in heaven.**_

_**And love is all that I need,**_

_**And I found it there in your heart.**_

_**It isn't too hard to see,**_

_**We're in heaven.**_

Kurt went to play the next verse but he was stopped by Blaine placing his hand on top of his. Kurt looked up at his roommate and friend, who was frustratingly close to him. He just wanted to dive in and kiss Blaine, but he knew that wasn't the way to go. Blaine sighed, "That was beautiful. You'll totally get into The Warblers using that song."

Kurt smiled sincerely, "You really think so?"

Blaine leant in slightly, "I know so."

Kurt gulped silently. Blaine was only an inch away. His heart was jumping out of his chest. He was almost certainly just misreading Blaine right now, but he didn't care. The rush going through him shot a tingle down his spine. He tried so hard to hide it but Blaine's grin suggested he knew. Maybe he wasn't misreading Blaine; Kurt was so confused about what was going on.

Just then, the door creaked open, causing Blaine to shuffle away slightly on the bench and turn to the door. Finn stood in the doorway with a small paper plate of salad in each hand. He could feel the tension in the room as Kurt narrowed his eyes, with something which looked a lot like resentment glinting in his eyes. Finn stuttered, "I-I-I-I brought you guys some salad."

Blaine stood up and took the plates from Finn, smiling, "Well that was very kind of you, Finn. Thank you."

Finn nodded gratefully, "No problem, dude. Anyway, I'm gonna go hang out with the guys in Sam and Joe's room. If you wanna join us at any time, then just come up."

Kurt nodded, giving him a fake smile, "We'll think about it."

Finn backed out the room quickly, knowing that Kurt would have a go at him later. Kurt rolled his eyes before registering that Blaine was holding a plate in front of him. He took it gently, "Thanks."

They ate in silence, both trying to recover from what had happened in the moments leading up to Finn coming into the room. Finally, Kurt broke the silence, "Play some more piano for me? I was really enjoying it... It was soothing."

Blaine smiled, happy that the tension had been broken. He put his plate on top of the piano and replied, "Okay, but no singing."

Kurt nodded in agreement as Blaine began to play a mash up of 'The Scientist' by Coldplay and 'Big Girls Don't Cry' by Fergie. Kurt thought it was an unusual combination but at the same time, it was beautiful.

The next few hours they sat in the music room, taking it in turns to play songs and medleys. By the time they nearly had to leave for the library introduction, they were sat on the piano bench, hugging. It wasn't a hug that was leading to anything. It was a hug of friendship, of knowing that there would always be someone there for them in the comfort of their own bedroom. Blaine shifted his head on Kurt's shoulder, "We need to go."

Kurt moaned, "Or we could stay like this."

Blaine smiled, "I wish we could." He leant back slightly to look at Kurt in his eyes; his perfect glasz eyes, "No matter what, I'm here for you. I hope you know that."

Kurt replied weakly, "I'm here for you too if you ever need me."

* * *

_Dear Journal,_

_Today has been... wow! I don't even know where today came from. What a way to get to know Kurt. He's definitely flirtatious, even if he doesn't seem to know it. He's just... wow! I could easily just write wow over and over again. But no, I need to let it all out._

_How do I begin to describe Kurt Hummel? That flawless human being. I swear overnight he became three times more beautiful than I remember. Maybe it was the uniform. Man, he looks so good in that jumper. I sound so shallow, don't I? His personality really came out today too though. Honest._

_Today he said he was perfect - I couldn't help but silently agree with him on the matter. Didn't say anything though._

_He's just confusing me so much. At breakfast, I was almost certain he was going to kiss me when he pinned me down on that bench. He should have just leant down and kissed me. Problem solved. Shame that's never going to happen. Then he helped me with my tie... I never forget how to do things. I'm not Cooper. Once I've learnt to do something, I never forget. I honestly think that my mind deliberately sabotaged me just so I could have that closeness. Ugh. I hate myself. The buggy incident as well... Why did I go so fast? I have never gone that fast before... What am I doing? Oh, and there was the whole piano room situation where I was going to kiss him (didn't care what his reaction would be - I just need to know what his lips taste like once) but then Finn, his stepbrother, came in with lunch. Apart from that, we had a lovely afternoon of playing piano and then we had a touching moment. That hug made me feel that at least our friendship would work out, if nothing more. We've known each other 36 hours. How am I this close to him when I haven't even known him 2 days yet? Just how?_

_Now I'm sat across from him as he writes in his journal (yes, he has a journal too) probably about how his roommate eats too much sugar, forgot how to tie a tie, drives too fast, but to make up for it has played piano to him. I don't do that for just anyone, but he doesn't know how special he is to me. This is stupid. Like I said before: WE'VE ONLY KNOWN EACH OTHER 36 HOURS! What am I saying? Maybe Finn knows I like his stepbrother and drugged my pizza to knock me out for the rest of the day. I'm certainly feeling a little delusional (I must be if I started off this entry the way I did) and I feel a lot more tired than usual. In fact, I'm going to bed even earlier than yesterday as soon as Kurt says he's ready to turn the light out. No doubt he'll text Finn and his other school mates after I'm long asleep. Probably just random little things._

_Okay, well, er, night!_

_- Blaine_

* * *

_Dear Journal,_

_I'm going to keep this brief: Blaine is the most adorable goofball with the most amazing voice ever. Oh, and he's actually gay. Therefore there is a small possibility he could become my most adorable goofball. Who am I kidding? Doubt I'm his type._

_Okay, so maybe he eats far too much sugar, forgets how to perform the simplest of tasks such as tying a tie, drives too fast, seemed to enjoy stroking my back when I went to see Rachel (which turned into awkward times) and sometimes he appears to get really close as if he knows what he's doing to me. But you know what, I just find each of those quirks adorable. _

_It was unfair when he got all cocky and said he was perfect, because from what I've seen so far, he is. Simple. Well, he's perfect to me anyway._

_I wanted to kiss him today. We were in the boarding music room and he was like an inch way from my lips and I just wanted to lean that little bit further forward and kiss him. Stupid Finn ruining the moment. I will make him aware of what he did when I next get time alone with him. Apart from that bad timing, I miss hanging out with the big lug as much as I used to. _

_Oh, and one more thing. We had this super long hug as our time in the music room came to an end. He smells like what heaven must smell of. I can't even describe his scent. It's musky but fruity at the same time. Or maybe the fruit was coming from the hair gel?_

_Anyway, Blaine wants to sleep, so lights out. Might text Finn asking him what he was playing at. Actually, that's a little unfair. He had no idea what I was going to do. I'll just tell him what my plan was to see if he's supportive_

_- Kurt_

* * *

**A/N: **Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and let me know what you think. The song Blaine sings is based on 'Can I Have A Kiss?' by Kelly Clarkson - have a listen if you are unfamiliar with the song on YouTube by copying and pasting this on the end of the YouTube URL if you are run - /watch?v=r2LfjQg7h3o . The song Kurt sings is called 'Heaven' by Do - have a listen here by copying and pasting onto the end of the YouTube URL - /watch?v=2dfn3wesPSg . Sorry about some of the poor areas of writing in this chapter - I don't feel like this is my usual standard so I'll be working extra hard to make the next chapter totally awesome


	3. Chapter 3

_Student Orientation Days 3-5_

_Good morning, students. Over the next couple of days, everyone will take part in buggy driving lessons at their allotted time. Your allotted time is:_

_17.15 on Wednesday_

_Please be advised that you must turn up for your lesson on time outside the boarding house as we have nearly 150 students to get through and only 2 teachers available in their pre-semester timetable to teach you how to use these buggies safely and to make you aware of their use. During the lesson, you must be dressed in your uniform in case of late admissions parent tours happening throughout the next couple of days. _

_The remainder of today and tomorrow is free time with exception to your half-hour buggy introduction, with the additional exception of 14.00-14.45 on Wednesday._

_There will be an assembly at 14.00 on Wednesday regarding extra-curricular activities available to you throughout the fall semester. Please note that any boarding representatives of these extra-curricular activities will be returning to the boarding house during this morning and therefore the boarding house foyer will be considerably busier between 09.00 and 11.30. Also please note that the boarding house music room is for The Dalton Academy Warblers Glee Club practise between 11.00 and 13.45, and is therefore unavailable for general use. _

_Your semester timetable is also now available to you. Please go to the boarding house student educational services office (see campus map) during the opening times (08.00-19.00) to collect your timetable before they close on Friday evening._

_I hope you have a few relaxed days prior to weekend arrangements, as written later on in the pack. Please contact a member of staff if you have any queries about anything in your packs or if you are unsure about anything at all._

_Have a great few days,_

_Mr. H Thornton_

_Your Principal_

* * *

Kurt awoke to an empty room. He knew that Blaine woke up an hour earlier than their alarm but it was too bright outside for it to be before the alarm was meant to go off. Kurt pressed a button on his phone to light up the screen. It was 09.08. Their alarm was meant to go off at 08.30. Kurt sat up and looked at the alarm clock sat on the bedside table between the two beds. The alarm had been switched off. Kurt wondered if Blaine did that because he thought Kurt might want a lie in. Kurt sleepily smiled at the thought of Blane putting him into consideration, after he had sounded hesitant of an 08.30 start today.

Kurt rolled out of bed and immediately changed into some more casual clothes, not willing to go to breakfast in his pyjamas. He wore tight skinny jeans, a red and white checked shirt and a plain navy sweater, topping it off with his black and white Doc Martens Pierre boots. Next thing he did was look in the mirror and he wasn't happy with what he saw. His face was surprisingly okay, and he could actually skip the morning moisturising routine today because of just how good it looked. But his hair was far from ideal. Strands of hair were sticking out everywhere and his fringe side swept across his forehead, Kurt couldn't help but be horrified. This was the worst he had ever seen his hair after rolling out of bed in the morning. He considered briefly for it to be a metaphor for a bad day to come, but he quickly dropped that theory, realising he was just being pessimistic.

He frantically sprayed his hair, pushing it up into a quiff. He jumped when he was Blaine suddenly coming out of nowhere behind him, dropping the can of hairspray. He took a deep breath, "Blaine! What the hell?"

Blaine just smiled, "Looking good today, Hummel. Shame you're going to have to get changed for assembly."

Kurt added, "And my buggy introduction. Not long before we drive around sensibly."

Blaine's grin grew, "We?"

Kurt matched Blaine's grin, "Where would I be without my weirdo of a roommate?" Kurt paused before asking, "So, I'm assuming that you'll be hanging out with your Warbler friends now, huh? I mean, they're arriving throughout the morning and then that will be that. I'll see you in the evenings before lights out and only then."

Kurt slumped onto his bed and looked down at his feet, disappointed at the idea but knew he wasn't wrong. The bed dipped slightly and Blaine put his arm around Kurt's waist, pulling him closer, "Kurt, that won't happen. And do you know why?" Kurt shook his head, still looking down at the floor, although a little more comforted with Blaine's arm around him. Blaine continued, "Because you'll be there with me. And your McKinley friends will be too. Our friends. I want you to be a part of my life now that you're in it and my old friends returning won't change my mind. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't here with me these last couple of days but it would have been so much more boring without you, so why would I want to go back to boredom?"

Kurt looked up to find Blaine's face impossibly close to his. He thought to himself, "Kiss him! He's right there! Just take the chance and do it! What the hell are you waiting for, Hummel?! Kiss him!"

Suddenly the door swung open, causing both Kurt and Blaine to draw their faces away but Blaine kept his arm around Kurt's waist. Puck entered, rubbing his eyes, clearly still tired despite going to bed at 7 yesterday evening in order to catch up on sleep he had lost staying up laughing with Finn the first night. He stopped mid-step, his eyes flickering towards the arm around Kurt's waist and how close they appeared in general. He half-smiled, "Is this a bad time?"

Blaine shook his head, "Not at all. What's up?"

Puck replied, "Actually, I was going to tell Hummel over there that Mercedes was texting me to ask if you had died or something because you haven't been on Skype since we got here. She kinda woke me up, man. Will you please Skype her?"

Kurt nodded and wriggled out of Blaine's grasp, much to both boys' disappointments, "I will Skype her now. Got plenty of time after all."

Puck nodded sleepily, yawned and then left the room, calling behind him, "See you guys in assembly."

Blaine stared at the slightly ajar door before turning back to Kurt, who was busy turning on a laptop. Blaine asked, "Do you want me to go get some pancakes or something and bring them up here?"

Kurt smiled in response but didn't look away from the now lit-up screen, "Yes please, if you're going."

Blaine stood up and advanced towards the door, replying, "I'll be back in a second."

Before Kurt could reply, the door was closed. He was alone again, the dial tone of Skype the only noise sounding around the room. Suddenly, Mercedes face appeared on the screen, causing Kurt to jump unexpectedly at the suddenness. Mercedes greeted him, "Hey Kurt. Guessing Puck stuck to his word."

Kurt replied softly, "Yeah. He picked the wrong moment to, but hey he did stick to it. How have you been?"

"It's been so different without you, Kurt. Seriously, I had you over here or I went to yours for most of the summer and now you've almost vanished off the face of the earth."

Kurt laughed, "Ah Mercedes, I'm only about an hour away from home, and I'll be back for a fabulous weekend with you before the semester starts. I'm going to need a pampering session. I'm starting to get stress lines."

Mercedes smiled, "Agreed. The new semester is proving very stressful. We aren't all together and that sucks."

Kurt simply nodded as Mercedes looked down at her phone, a text lighting up her screen, "Puck just texted me to tell me to ask about your roommate with a winky face at the end of the text. What's going on?"

Kurt replied quietly, "I can't talk about it much. He might be back any minute, but he's my beautiful roommate who is just amazing and gay."

"Has my Kurt got a new crush?"

Kurt scoffed, "It's more than a crush. But I don't love the- red jumper of the uniform. Navy's more my colour anyway."

Blaine walked into the room with two paper plates stacked with maple syrup flooded pancakes and cutlery so they could eat. Mercedes replied, "What are you on about?"

Blaine sat down next to Kurt in camera view and asked him, "Who's your friend?"

The smile he gave after asking was adorable - Kurt's heart was melting inside but he managed to keep his cool, letting his lip twitch slightly into a loving smile. He looked between Blaine and Mercedes on-screen, "Blaine, this is Mercedes. She's the friend who wrote to the principal asking if it would be possibly to make the school co-ed even though she knew the answer would be no." Kurt paused and turned to Mercedes, "Mercedes, this is Blaine, my roommate."

Mercedes grin grew, "Hey Blaine. Kurt's told me so little about you. But then again, he hasn't spoken to me in two days."

Kurt shot back, "Well I'm sorry. I had moving day and then almost died and then had an assembly and then spent the afternoon trying to outplay the piano with this weird creature next to me"

Blaine protested, "Hey! I'm the normal one here. The rest of the world is just weird."

Mercedes raised an eyebrow, "Almost died?"

Blaine chuckled, "Kurt was just exaggerating. I was just driving too fast around campus. No biggy. I had full control."

Kurt shook his head as Blaine shoved an entire pancake into his mouth, "Sorry about him, Mercedes. Maybe I could come back online when he has to go for pre-assembly glee practise."

Mercedes nodded, "Yeah, for the best. You seem pre-occupied."

Kurt smiled endearingly, "Love you, fabulous."

Mercedes sighed, "Love ya too, Kurt."

Kurt shut the lid of the laptop, and turned to Blaine, trying desperately to stop himself from laughing as bits of pancake hung out of his roommates mouth. But he couldn't take it anymore and began to laugh hysterically. Blaine's heart did a somersault at the sound of the laughter. Could Kurt get anymore attractive?

He swallowed the pancake, taking in the laughter just a second longer before smirking, questioning, "What?"

Kurt took a deep breath in, "You're hilarious."

Blaine chuckled softly, "Well, I do try."

Kurt leant a little closer, "It's adorable."

Blaine shuffled a little closer, "Not as adorable as you."

Kurt's eyes widened slightly. Did he just hear Blaine right? His thought process didn't even have time to work it out as there was a knock on the door, an unknown voice shouting, "Knock, knock!" The door opened and a medium-height boy with olive skin, black hair and deep brown eyes stood in the doorway. He continued, "How's the Warblers leading man been doing without his friends?"

Blaine rushed up and hugged the boy, who was currently unknown to Kurt. The way in which Blaine was so quick to hug the boy made him fill with jealousy. Blaine greeted, "I've been doing great, Wes. Made new friends with the McKinley transfers. I have an inkling they are all talented. Kurt definitely is. Counter-tenor. Could be a good replacement for Josh and Tyler now that they've graduated."

Kurt beamed to himself, happy that Blaine just complimented him probably without even realising it. Of course, Kurt knew he was extremely talented, but it was something about Blaine agreeing which made him feel like he was actually accomplishing something. Wes raised an eyebrow, "Who's Kurt? He sounds intriguing."

Kurt butted in, still sitting on the bed, slightly flustered from Blaine's earlier comment, "Oh, that's me. Hi. Kurt. Blaine's roommate."

Wes nodded, "I'm Wes."

Blaine smiled at Wes, "Kurt's coming along for Warbler auditions on Monday."

There was something in Wes' eyes which made Blaine believe he could read his mind. Considering Wes knew the signs from when Blaine had a crush on him, it made it all the more easier. He grinned, his voice breaking slightly as he spoke, "Well, the more the merrier. Remember, Warbler practise downstairs at 11. Don't be late. We need to decide on a song still and Jeff told me about your text so we need to discuss some new arrangements as well."

Blaine nodded, "Yep, okay. I'll see you then."

Wes walked off down the hallway, Blaine closing the door behind so they were all alone again. He advanced back over to Kurt and knelt in front of him, Kurt still smiling slightly at what Blaine had said before. Blaine matched his smile, "Just sing Heaven and you'll be fine."

Kurt shook his head, "There are plenty of songs in my repertoire that would show my voice off better. I just had it stuck in my head yesterday so thought I might as well share it."

Blaine took Kurt's hands in his own, Kurt's grin growing at the physical contact, "Well at least let me help you choose. I want you to be a part of the Warblers because I know you'll enjoy it. I want you to have the best possible chance."

Blaine didn't make his full intentions clear. Yes, he wanted Kurt to be a part of the Warblers after hearing about how much fun he used to have in New Directions. But he was definitely looking to spend more time with Kurt and his friends from last academic year were not going to be able to tell him otherwise.

Kurt reached out for Blaine's hand, which was resting on his knee, lightly stroking his thumb against Blaine's, "I was hoping I could get your help."

Blaine grinned wider, "Well, like I said yesterday, I'm here for you, no matter what."

* * *

Blaine walked into the boarding house music room, loosening his tie a little as Kurt had tied it a little too tight but he didn't want to say anything about it as they both were in such a good mood from spending the morning with each other that he didn't care anyway. All the Warblers who had already arrived were chatting amongst themselves, a few friendly glances darting towards Blaine as he finally managed to get his tie loose enough. Within seconds, Thad, David and Wes were swarming around Blaine. David said excitedly, "Wes told us."

Blaine raised an eyebrow, "Told you what?"

Wes playfully shoved him, "You and Kurt."

Blaine shook his head and looked down, "There's nothing to tell so I don't know what you told them."

Thad mimicked Wes' shove, "So Wes didn't have to go through your ramble on how talented he supposedly is and then how flustered he got when introducing himself. You two totally have something you're hiding."

Blaine looked up and darted his eyes between the members of the Warbler council, "I need a favour."

David jumped up and down excitedly, "Anything for our leading man."

Blaine smiled nervously, "After dinner, I want to do a second Warbler performance in the foyer, but I want it to look like it's spontaneous, and I want to dedicate it to Kurt."

Wes joined in jumping up and down, "I knew it. You like him."

Thad asked nonchalantly, a lot calmer than David and Wes, "What song do you want to sing to him?"

Blaine shook his head, "Right now, we have an assembly to prepare for but we should all meet in here afterwards."

Wes walked over to the Warbler council desk and banged his gavel, yelling, "Order! Order!" The room fell silent, "Thank you. Welcome back, Warblers. Hope you all had a brilliant summer. Two points of order: firstly, I would like to thank every last one of you, boarders and non-boarders, for showing up to rehearsal and for the performance today." Wes was interrupted by applause and cheering. He banged his gavel once and the room fell silent once more, "Secondly, Warbler Blaine Anderson has a request for you all so I'm going to open the floor to him."

Blaine took a step into the middle of the room and clear his throat, "Well, I would like to extend Wes' welcome back." More applause and cheering; another bang of the gavel. Blaine cleared his throat again, "I'm going to make this simple. There's this guy, my roommate actually, who I have some... fairly strong feelings for, and I want to sing to him after dinner tonight in the foyer, so I was hoping I could enlist you all to help." There were cheers and whooping all around, even the Warbler council had joined in. Blaine raised a hand and everyone immediately fell silent, "Thank you all for the support you give me and the belief you have in me. As a sophomore, I feel honoured to be your leading man this year and I will make sure I keep up Tyler's legacy of awesomeness."

Wes smiled full-heartedly, "Thank you, Blaine. So after the assembly, can we all meet back here to help Blaine?" There were mumbles of agreement before he continued, "Excellent! Now onto the assembly. Thad, you had a song idea?"

Thad stood from his place behind the council's desk, "Last year, we started the year with 'Let It Be' by The Beatles, and we definitely did not do that justice at all. So this time around, I think we should do something a little more modern. 'Cooler Than Me' by Mike Posner."

Everyone cheered happily at the idea with Jeff yelling, "It's about freaking time, guys!"

Wes banged his gavel impatiently, "Guys, come on. We only have 2 hours 30 minutes left and we need to figure out how vocals and choreography is going to work."

* * *

The next couple of hours, The Warblers spent their rehearsal time putting their performance together, slowly becoming more and more out of breath. Blaine commented as the rehearsal came to an end, "We are completely out of practise. I mean, I don't remember rehearsals being that tiring."

Thad laughed as the Warblers all walked out of the boarding house together in order to get to the assembly on time, "That's what happens when you spend your whole summer sitting on the couch watching Project Runway, which I know for a fact you would have done."

Blaine shrugged indifferently, "Was nice to relax and- mWhoa! Who's on my back?"

A slightly high voice replied as Blaine grabbed his legs to support him, because regardless of who it was, Blaine didn't want any injuries before school even began, "Santa Claus."

Blaine grinned and tilted his head back slightly, "Nice try, Kurt."

David bounced along beside Blaine, who was now giving Kurt a piggy back, "Blaine, who's this?" He gave Blaine a knowing look but wanted to hear the name come out of his mouth.

Blaine replied, smiling slightly, "This is my roommate, Kurt. Kurt, this is David. He doesn't know when to shut up, so be careful what you say to him."

Kurt replied, "Noted. So I shouldn't tell him about how you forgot to tie your tie the past two days."

Blaine yelled, almost dropping the boy on his back, "Kurt! I thought we agreed we wouldn't talk about that to anyone!"

David bent over, laughing really hard, "How can you forget to tie a tie?"

Blaine replied nonchalantly, "Dunno. Just happened." He then quickly changed the subject, "By the way, Kurt, I'm not gonna be able to hang out after the assembly. Got more Warbler practise, but let's go to dinner at 6.30 and then hang out in our room for the rest of the evening, okay?"

Kurt responded, a hint of disappointment in his voice, "Oh. Okay. It's cool. Promise me we get after dinner together?"

Blaine replied enthusiastically, "I promise." He lifted one of his hands from holding Kurt's leg and linked his pinky with one of Kurt's, "Pinky promise."

Wes smiled at them, "Will you two stop being so cute?"

Blaine began to blush, glad that Kurt could only see the back of his head. He noticed that Kurt was nuzzling into his neck, the warmth of Kurt sending a chill down his spine. Blaine took a deep breath in before answering Wes, "No idea what you're on about."

Kurt interjected, "Two friends promising to hang out."

Blaine tilted his head to the side to look at Kurt and smiled, "Two friends promising to have a laugh."

David butted in, "Two friends doing stuff that friends wouldn't normally do."

Kurt raised an eyebrow, "Wait, what?"

Finn had caught up, raising an eyebrow himself about Kurt being on Blaine's back but then joined in David's joke, "He means that you two might engage in something which wouldn't happen between two friends."

Blaine and Kurt both shouted together, "Oh my God! Shut up!"

They were more than happy to now be walking into the main building. Blaine gently lowered Kurt's feet to the floor and gave him a pat on the shoulder, "I need to go with the Warblers backstage. But I'll come find you afterwards to quickly see you before rehearsal."

Kurt put a hand to Blaine's cheek, "Okay."

Sam coughed unsubtly, "Kiss him, Kurt."

Blaine glanced over at the surrounding group, consisting of the entire Warblers club and the majority of the McKinley transfers, except for Puck who was late because of his buggy introduction. He couldn't kiss Kurt in front of all these people. He wanted it to be special, secluded, between them and only them. So instead, Blaine patted Kurt on the shoulder, smiling weakly in desperation for the boy standing in front of him, "I need to tell you something after dinner. When we're alone."

Kurt nodded anxiously, "Whatever it is, I'll listen and I'll help you get through it."

Blaine smiled before turning to the Warblers, "Shall we?"

Thad lead the way with Blaine leaving last, briefly turning around to give Kurt one last glance and added in a wink before rushing off after his friends.

Kurt stood in the middle of the foyer, with his friends surrounding him, wondering what the hell Blaine wanted to tell him. He was completely still, frozen in shock. He could feel a pit in his stomach growing; he knew that it was going to be bad no matter what, but equally he was going to accept Blaine's decision.

The next thing he knew, he had fallen back into someone's arms, his knees too weak to support his weight. He looked up to see Sam keeping him steady, "Easy there, Hummel. Don't want to hit your head on the marble."

Kurt narrowed his eyes, "I hope you burn your tongue on dinner tonight."

Sam's eyes widened in alarm, "What the hell, man? I just stopped you from having a concussion."

Kurt replied in an annoyed tone, "So you weren't the one who told me to kiss him? You scared him off."

Finn pulled Kurt out of Sam's arms so he could stand up straight before agreeing with Kurt, "Seriously, dude, you should have just let him do his thing. It's painful to watch your stepbrother get cockblocked. Admittedly, I did it yesterday, but I've learnt." He darted his eyes between all the McKinley boys present, "Anyone caught cockblocking Kurt and Blaine in this group will have to face the cinnamon challenge."

Everyone glanced between each other, worried at the idea. Artie broke the tension, "Deal."

Finn half-smiled, "Good. Now if I'm not mistaken, it's time to go listen to people drone on about their extra-curricular activities and hear Kurt's boyfriend perform."

Kurt protested, "He's not my boyfriend."

Joe smirked, "Yet. He's not your boyfriend yet."

* * *

Kurt was almost asleep. This assembly was the most tedious thing he had ever sat through; more tedious than the Christmas Day basketball game he and his dad watched every year. The difference was that his Vogue magazine was across campus with no chance of sneaking out to go get it.

He was jolted by Mike, who was sitting next to him, causing him to open his eyes. Mike whispered, "Mr. Thornton just announced the Warblers. Do you think you can stay awake for the performance?"

Kurt nodded, sitting up from his slouched state, excited for what he was about to witness. Blaine walked onstage alone, looking like a rabbit caught in the headlights. He was nervous performing in front of all these people, Kurt could tell. They made eye contact, causing Blaine's shoulders to relax and overall calmed Blaine down. Kurt smiled at the fact that he had the ability to calm Blaine in this way even though he couldn't understand why that was. Neither boy could understand it.

Blaine spluttered out, "What's up everyone? We are The Warblers and this is 'Cooler Than Me'."

Blaine stood alone in the centre of the stage with various different Warblers using their voices to make the backing track, with a drum beat being played to help keep rhythm. Kurt sat forward, intrigued. They didn't use backing tracks here; it was mostly done by voice. Interesting.

Blaine briefly looked down to keep composure before looking up to sing:

_**If I could write you a song and make you fall in love,**_

_**I would already have you up under my arm.**_

_**I used up all of my tricks, I hope that you like this.**_

_**But you probably won't, you think you're cooler than me.**_

_**You got designer shades, just to hide your face and**_

_**You wear them around like you're cooler than me.**_

_**And you never say hey, or remember my name.**_

_**It's probably cause, you think you're cooler than me.**_

All the Warblers started to rush onstage, adding a new and exciting dynamic to the performance, the energy increasing and everyone sitting in their seats, completely stunned by the talent. Kurt smiled to himself, only paying attention to Blaine's voice, tuning out any of the echoes or harmonies or sounds. It took him back to when he overheard Blaine singing yesterday as the same beautiful voice was singing without a stutter or crack of the voice:

_**You got your high brow, shoes on your feet,**_

_**And you wear them around, like they ain't sh-**_

_**But you don't know, the way that you look,**_

_**When your steps make that much noise. Shh.**_

_**Cause it sure seems, cause it sure seems**_

_**You got no doubt, that you got no doubt.**_

_**But we all seem, we all seem**_

_**We got your head in the clouds**_

Kurt's eyes were fixated on Blaine and the hip movements he was doing. It was frustrating him at how flawless the younger boy was acting. He needed a chance to just hold Blaine by the hips whilst passionately kissing him or something, anything. Kurt thought to himself, "Your friend. Blaine is your friend. Stop being a hormonal teenager! Why is he so flawless? It's his fault; he's the one who is- well, him."

He shook his head, paying attention on the voice more than the movements, despite the concept of doing so proving difficult:

_**If I could write you a song and make you fall in love,**_

_**I would already have you up under my arm.**_

_**I used up all of my tricks, I hope that you like this.**_

_**But you probably won't, you think you're cooler than me.**_

_**You got designer shades, just to hide your face and**_

_**You wear them around like you're cooler than me.**_

_**And you never say hey, or remember my name.**_

_**It's probably cause, you think you're cooler than me.**_

The auditorium filled with applause and cheering. Everyone around him stood up they thought it was so good. Kurt didn't even clap. He was in complete awe of what he just watched, of how attractive he found that performance. It was not healthy having some of the thoughts he did whilst watching Blaine perform with the Warblers. But it was almost as if he couldn't help it. This crush he had was escalating fast and he knew that deep down, he would be very upset in just a few hours time when Blaine was going to tell him that they were just friends. And Kurt was almost certain that he wouldn't be able to survive without days of isolation and another school transfer. It was nice knowing Dalton whilst it lasted.

* * *

Kurt walked back to the boarding house with his McKinley friends having figured that he could catch Blaine in the foyer before he went to rehearsal. There he was, standing in the middle of the foyer, waiting for Kurt. Kurt couldn't help but run up and hug him, knowing that this could be the last time he would hug Blaine before things went downhill. Blaine chuckled, "So you liked the performance?"

Kurt replied happily, "Yeah. You were all really good." He paused to lean back slightly so he could look Blaine in the eyes whilst still hugging him, "You were the best of them all though."

Blaine could feel his heart leaping out of his chest, trying desperately to hold back a kiss for now, saving it for later. He smiled sheepishly, "Thanks. That means a lot."

Suddenly, Wes appeared from around the archway leading to the corridor which the music room was down, "Anderson, come on. We're under the same timeframe as before, so this rehearsal needs to begin."

Blaine sighed and released Kurt from the hug, Kurt reluctantly doing the same. Blaine didn't hold back the disappointed expression, sighing once more, "Meet me at the bottom of the staircase at 18.25?"

Kurt nodded, "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

And then once again, Kurt was left in the centre of a foyer, his McKinley friends watching on, this time including Puck. And this time it was Puck who caught him before walking him over to lean against a pillar. Kurt slid down it unintentionally and sat on the floor. That whole hugging episode had made him weak at the knees again. Puck, Finn and Sam all knelt down in front of him, with Joe, Mike and Artie behind them. Sam reached out to touch Kurt's shoulder but he batted it away. Finn said, concerned, "Dude, don't shut us out. I know that's what you do when you feel vulnerable, but please don't. We're wanting to help."

Kurt replied weakly, almost too quiet for anyone to hear, "You try liking a guy who you thought you had a shot with only to be told that he needs to tell you something. It's going to kill me." He started to yell a little, "He knows, Finn! He knows I like him! I can sense it! And he's going to tell me we're just friends! Then he goes and hugs me back, which is going to make everything ten times worse! Maybe for once I should be allowed to shut myself out!"

Puck replied in a deep, calm voice, "Hummel, chill. He's not going to reject you. If that hug was anything to go by, you'll be fine. Even if you end up just staying friends, it'll be fine. He seems mature enough to not make it awkward. Okay?"

Kurt nodded, returning to his quiet voice, "Okay."

Puck repeated, "Okay."

Finn's lips twitched into his trademark half smile, "It's all gonna be just fine."

* * *

Blaine and Wes walked into the boarding music room, causing everyone to fall silent, all eyes fixated on Blaine. He sighed, "I guess I have the floor then."

Wes patted him on shoulder encouragingly before walking over to a free chair and sitting down expectantly. Blaine continued a little louder than before, "As you all already know, I've met this guy who I can't stop thinking about, but I can't find the words to tell him how I feel and I want to sing to him, after dinner, today, which you've all kindly agreed to help me with which I can't thank you enough for. I'm going to dinner with him at 30 minutes past 6, so ideally you all need to come eat with us so that we're all ready to perform at 7." He paused as he looked over his shoulder where there were some people he wasn't expecting, "Why have you joined us, McKinley transfers?"

Finn replied, "You're singing to my brother, dude. Wes, David and Thad invited us. But we do plan to audition officially for the Warblers on Monday, but for now... We just wanna be a part of this."

Blaine grinned, "Okay, cool. The more the merrier, for now, and for the school year."

Puck asked impatiently, "What are we going to be singing, Anderson? It better have an obvious message. Our boy Hummel is completely clueless that you like him whilst the rest of us have known all along."

Blaine smiled, primarily at the fact that Kurt was still clueless, but also at the fact there would be more Warblers this year, "Well, thank you for joining us, guys. I appreciate it. Okay, we are going to be singing..."

* * *

Blaine stood at the bottom of the staircase watching people file into the dining hall for dinner. It was 18.32. Where was Kurt?

Suddenly, there was the sound of running footsteps coming down the stairs in amongst all the walking footsteps and chatting. Kurt reached the bottom of the stairs, a little out of breath, "Sorry I'm late. I was just redoing my hair. Got back to my room after my buggy introduction and it was so flat."

Blaine chuckled, finding Kurt fussing over his own appearance endearing, "It's fine, Kurt." He reached out and took Kurt's hand. It felt so natural. It was almost as if Kurt came to Dalton to be with Blaine. He continued, his smile growing, "Let's go eat. I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

Kurt looked down at their interlinked hand as they began to advance across the foyer towards the dining room, "Yeah, I am actually. Really sorry I made you wait."

"Will you quit apologising, Kurt?"

Kurt smiled lazily, "Sorry."

Blaine laughed, pushing one of the big wooden doors open with his free hand. He lead Kurt over to their usual table where the rest of the McKinley clan were already sitting eating, with the Warblers sitting at the surrounding table, all eyes from both groups on them. Jeff got up from his place, with two spare plates of lasagne and set them down at Blaine and Kurt's seat. Blaine patted on Jeff's shoulder as he returned to his table, "Thanks, buddy."

Jeff smiled, "Anytime, Blaine."

Kurt sat down and greeted everyone, with Blaine thumping down next to him, "Hey guys." They all smiled weirdly, causing Kurt to become suspicious, "What's going on?"

Blaine began to dig into his lasagne slice, "They're just all excited for Warbler auditions on Monday."

Joe agreed, "Yeah, we've all decided to audition. We miss glee club, man."

* * *

Everyone spent the next 30 minutes chatting and generally having a laugh, Blaine put his arm around Kurt after he had finished eating.

Blaine's eyes followed the Warblers out of the dining room. He knew they were ready to perform now. He met Finn's stare and nodded, Finn giving Puck an nudge, who gave Artie a wink. Everyone had gotten the message, including Kurt who raised an eyebrow but before he could ask what was going on, the McKinley boys began to sing:

_**DA, DA DA DA, DA DA DA DA DA**_

Kurt stood up, unable to sit with them without being embarrassed anymore. What was happening? Blaine stood up and tapped Kurt on the shoulder as he tried to walk away. Kurt turned to face him, trying hard not to blush as he knew that this song was dedicated to him. He could tell by the grin on Blaine's face and the fact he was singing directly at him:

_**I keep playing it inside my head, all that you said to me.**_

_**I lie awake just to convince myself, this wasn't just a dream.**_

_**Cause you were right here, and I should've taken the chance,**_

_**But I got so scared, and I lost the moment again.**_

_**It's all that I can think about, oh,**_

_**You're all that I can think about.**_

Blaine walked around Kurt, trying to coax him out into the foyer. Kurt jogged after him, trying to keep his cool about everything going on around him: the fact that Blaine was singing a song to him about how he was always on his mind was one thing, but the fact his friends knew about it and were joining in with Blaine made him question how he could have been so blind to the fact of the possibility of Blaine liking him back becoming a reality.

Blaine stopped in the doorway of the dining hall and took Kurt's hands, staring into his eyes. Kurt began to blush furiously as Blaine sang to him:

_**Is your heart taken? Is there somebody else on your mind?**_

_**I'm so sorry, I'm so confused, just tell me, am I out of time?**_

_**Is your heart breaking?**_

_**How do you feel about me now?**_

_**I can't believe I let you walk away when, when I should have kissed you.**_

Blaine leant slightly closer, teasing Kurt as he went in to kiss him but then, with all his willpower, pulled away and walked over to the Warblers who were smiling as they created harmonies and ad libs and runs to some notes. The McKinley students ran out from behind Kurt, who stayed standing in the doorway in complete shock, and joined the Warblers in their formation. Artie stayed beside Kurt, sitting smiling up at the blushing boy as he watched on. Blaine winked at Kurt as he turned around to finish his walk to the centre of the foyer backwards so he could continue to sing to Kurt and make eye contact at the same time:

_**Every morning when I leave my house, I always look for you, yeah.**_

_**I see you every time I close my eyes, what am I gonna do?**_

_**And all my friends say, that I'm punching over my weight,**_

_**But in your eyes, I saw how you were looking at me.**_

_**It's all that I can think about, oh,**_

_**You're all that I can think about.**_

_**Is your heart taken? Is there somebody else on your mind?**_

_**I'm so sorry, I'm so confused just tell me, am I out of time?**_

_**Is your heart breaking?**_

_**How do you feel about me now?**_

_**I can't believe I let you walk away when, when I should have kissed you.**_

Artie slowly wheeled over next to Blaine, giving him a high-five as he turned around, even though Blaine's eyes were fixated on Kurt. Kurt was not sure if he should begin walking towards Blaine or not, but he knew that a kiss was inevitable at the end of this song. Neither of them could deny each other that considering it was clear that they both wanted it. Sam took a step forward to join Blaine and Artie as the three of them sang together for an extra dimension to the reprise of the song:

_**When you stood there, just a heartbeat away,**_

_**When we were dancing, and you looked up at me.**_

_**If I had known then, that I'd be feeling this way,**_

_**If I could replay, I would have never let you go.**_

_**No, oh, never have let you go,**_

Kurt began to slowly take a couple of steps forward, his heart pounding like it never had before. This guy actually liked him. This guy was wanting to be with him. He didn't care that they had only known each other for a couple of days, and that this could appeared rushed, because it felt so right, and it had become obvious that it felt right to Blaine too, which only confirmed that this was meant to happen. Kurt had been a big believer in fate since his mum died, knowing that everything happens for a reason, considering the past helps to mould your future. Maybe Figgins suggesting this school for him happened so he could find Blaine. Or maybe it was just coincidence. At this point, it didn't matter to Kurt. What mattered was Blaine was singing to him a song about wanting to get together and Kurt was ecstatic about it happening. Blaine now sung on his own, Sam and Artie dropping back to join in with the Warblers' harmonising once more:

_**Am I out of time?**_

_**Is your heart taken? Is there somebody else on your mind?**_

_**I'm so sorry, I'm so confused just tell me, am I out of time?**_

_**Is your heart breaking?**_

_**How do you feel about me now?**_

_**I can't believe I let you walk away when, when I should have kissed you**_

Blaine began to walk closer to Kurt in excitement, giving Kurt the signal that the song was about to come to an end:

_**I should, I should oh, I should have kissed you**_

_**I should, I should oh, I should have kissed you**_

_**I should, I should oh, I should have kissed you**_

_**I should, I should oh, I should have kissed you**_

_**I should have kissed you**_

The Warblers and McKinley clan dispersed in any direction they could, pretending as if they were leaving to return to their rooms or to hang out in any of the public lounges, but they all lingered at the edges of the foyer to watch the scene to unfold.

Blaine stood with the front of his shoes touching the tips of Kurt's. He was a little out of breath from the singing and the choreography combined, so he spoke with laboured breaths, "Every... word of that... song has been... my thoughts... since I met you."

Kurt placed his hand on Blaine's cheek, exactly as he did in the main building foyer. He smiled wider than he could remember ever doing so, "Blaine, I- I want to. I do want to kiss you, because I do like you, and I've been having these thoughts too. Can we just not do this here, with everyone watching?"

Blaine took a deep breath in before looking over at The Warblers, yelling, "You lot! Get out of here! This is a private moment!"

This time everyone really did leave the foyer and from what Kurt and Blaine could tell, there were no signs of them waiting around any corners or just out of sight on the staircase. Blaine turned back to Kurt, talking in a quieter tone, "Kurt, I don't know what it is or why I feel like I do, but I just think you're an amazing guy who I haven't been able to stop thinking about since you stood on my foot."

Kurt bowed his head, laughing, "I'm still really sorry about that."

Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist, "The point I'm making is, all the compliments, every touch, every moment, they've all meant a lot to me and now that you're in my life, I wouldn't trade you for the world. I want to be with you, Kurt. Plain and simple. I want to be able to look over at you when we're in a lesson together or when we are sitting apart for some strange reason, knowing that you'll look back over at me and smile because you feel the way I do and- Oh my god! I'm rambling aren't I?"

Kurt nodded, "Yeah, just a little."

Blaine bowed his head and shook it before looking back up to re-engage in the eye contact he had managed to hold the entire time he was talking, "So what do you wanna do about it?"

Kurt smiled and slowly slid his arms around Blaine's neck, "Well, let's see, I could ignore the situation but that wouldn't be fair on anyone, so instead, I thi-"

Blaine couldn't take it anymore. He leant in further, causing Kurt to stop mid-sentence, and tilted his head slightly, a whisper grazing Kurt's lips, "You ready?"

Kurt nodded and leant in closer himself, their lips just a millimetre away from touching.

What happened next was fuzzy in Kurt's mind. He felt Blaine's lips now touching his own. They were kissing. But it didn't feel like anything normal; like any of the experiences Finn has recounted to him about kissing Rachel. There was a spark: fireworks were going off in his head as their lips moved perfectly in sync, as if each other's lips were made to kiss each other. Kurt could tell he would be breathless when they found the strength to pull away, but right now having Blaine kiss him was all he needed. Forget air. It was as if this kiss was his life support.

Blaine's mental state wasn't much better. He felt the spark too as a wave of emotion overflowed his mind. He was feeling a lot happier than just being in Kurt's presence. This was a new kind of happiness he had never experienced and he didn't want it to stop. His mind was chanting at him, "You're kissing Kurt! You're kissing him! Never let it stop!"

Both boys knew that they would have to stop for air, much to their disappointment. Blaine was the one to break apart, taking a minute to catch his breath once more. He managed to say weakly, "Wow."

Kurt's eyes were suddenly filling with tears. Blaine asked, panicked, "Kurt, what's wrong? Is that not what you wanted? You said you were ready. I shou- did I pressure you into it because I sang to you? Oh my god! I'm so sorry. I-" He paused at Kurt's chuckling before raising an eyebrow, "What's going on?"

Kurt tightened his grip slightly around Blaine's neck, "I'm crying because I'm so happy. These are happy tears, Blaine. Happy tears. Of course I wanted that. In fact, I wouldn't mind if it happened again."

Blaine teased, "Is that your way of asking me to kiss you again?"

Kurt nodded, unable to gather up any more words than what he had already said. Blaine Anderson had just kissed him. And now, Blaine was leaning in for another kiss. Kurt tilted his head down a little so that Blaine wouldn't have to reach up too much in order for their lips to meet. As their lips touched, the mood was a little different to before. It was still a soft gentle kiss, but there was hints of desire and longing as Blaine took Kurt's bottom lip fully in between his own. He was trying so desperately not to slip his tongue into Kurt's mouth, trying to take things slow now that he knew where the two of them stood. But equally, Blaine also had no desire to pull away again.

This time, it was Kurt who pulled away, pressing his forehead against Blaine's as he did. He grinned widely, questioning, "But why me, Blaine?"

Blaine responded, matching Kurt's grin as he did, "I'm going to be honest with you. I don't know. All I know is that you're different to everyone else, in a good way obviously, and I just know that I need this, I need you. I don't know why. I just do. What about me? Why me?"

Kurt sighed, "Gorgeous goofballs are just my type."

Blaine raised an eyebrow, "Gorgeous?"

"Oh my god! Can you not see it? Whenever you look in the mirror, are you just immune to your own gorgeousness?"

Blaine leant in again, his lips ghosting over Kurt's, "If you think I'm gorgeous, then you should take a look at yourself."

Before Kurt could reply, Blaine pressed his lips against Kurt's once more, leaving Kurt completely lost in the entire situation to even formulate an answer. After years of bullying and teasing because of his sexuality, Kurt had finally found his escape, even if he was unaware of what was to come.

* * *

_Dear Journal,_

_I kissed him. I could die happy right now. _

_It was nothing like I had ever experienced before. Yeah, that was that one time when I kissed Jamie in middle school, but kissing Kurt was a whole new kind of perfection. I'm speechless. There are no words for how happy I am. _

_It was brilliant. No way of denying it. I sang to him, and the Warblers helped (the Warblers are back from summer vacation now by the way) and so did his friends, and it was just perfect. The feeling of unity is back, and there is happiness in the air. _

_It was when it was just me and him in the foyer that really made my day. Just him standing there in my arms and me in his, it was surreal._

_Okay, I need to say goodnight to him. Might try and steal another kiss. It's like a drug to me now. I'm addicted. And spending a lot of this evening kissing him is proof enough. _

_- Blaine_

* * *

_Dear Journal,_

_Finally spoke to Mercedes today. Missing her lots. She seems to be getting on well without me though. We spoke twice today actually. First time, Blaine was acting like a goofball, so I had to wait until he left for Warblers practise. I skyped her back and told her everything: everything about my feelings for Blaine and everything about Dalton so far. I told her I love it here, but I also told her that I miss McKinley being open and everyone still being together. I miss her fabulousness. I miss Rachel's craziness; Santana's bitchy truthfulness; Brittany's enthusiasm; Tina's cheerfulness; Quinn's elegancy; Sugar's openness; Rory's willingness; Oh and Mr Schue's dedication. I'm just glad I have the others with me, otherwise I'm pretty sure I would have gone against Figgins' advice and joined them all at West Lima High._

_But I'm happy to be here, despite all that. I mean, I met Blaine. I met a guy. Okay yeah, I might have met a guy at any other school in Ohio, but I met THE guy. I met the guy who makes my heart flutter from one simple glance. Maybe it's just exciting because I'm able to act upon my sexuality here without anyone batting an eyelid. Yep, that's definitely it. I think..._

_I'm still trying to figure out how to put my thoughts of this evening into words. To start, my hair flattened during my buggy lesson. I burst into tears it looked so bad. Seriously, it was like someone draped a hairy blanket over my head. It was just horrible. But that wasn't what was the main event of the evening._

_I sort of... I might have... He kissed me. He gave me my first kiss. It was magic. I didn't want it to end. I was breathless. I was speechless. I was almost sure I had died and gone to heaven. I'm not sure it even happened. I'm in too much shock to comprehend it right now. I need time for it to sink in. It doesn't help I spent all evening sitting super close to him, and maybe sneaking in a few kisses here and there._

_Do I think we're going too fast? Maybe. But it feels right to. My dad might have something to say about how quickly I rushed into this, and granted he might be right, but it's not like we're going out... Yet. Oh god, I hope he asks me out, or I find the courage to ask him. S basically, I hope he asks me out... And soon._

_Oh, he's shutting his journal. He's looking over at me. He's coming over. I think I'm done writing today._

_- Kurt_

* * *

**A/N:** Once again, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. I enjoyed writing it certainly; I've enjoyed writing the entire fanfic :) Please review and let me know how to improve, because I want to make it the best I possibly can :) First song was 'Cooler Than Me' by Mike Posner - watch?v=Rq-nBujdb4I (add to youtube . com url). Second song was 'I Should Have Kissed You' by One Direction - watch?v=fjMUd_6aHNs (add to youtube . com url). I'll update as soon as I can. Sorry about the wait for this one.


	4. Chapter 4

_Student Orientation - Day 5_

_Good morning students. Orientation week is now coming to an end, and soon the semester will start. Every Friday, buses are available to allow you to go home and see your family and friends if you wish. Your bus is:_

_Lima via Marysville, Bellefontaine & Uniopolis_

_Highway 3, I-270, Highway 33, Marysville, Highway 33, Route 540, Bellefontaine, Highway 68, Highway 33, Route 65, Uniopolis, Route 65, Lima_

_Leaves Dalton: 17.00 Friday_

_Arrives in Lima (Town Square): 19.15 Friday_

_Leaves Lima (Town Square): 15.45 Sunday_

_Arrives at Dalton: 18.00 Sunday_

_Please note that buses will leave at specified times and tardiness could result in the bus leaving without you, hence it is advised you arrive at the bus at least 10 minutes before departure. Also please note that arrival times are estimated and traffic/road closures could alter your arrival time to your destination, whether during your travels home or back to Dalton._

_Students staying on campus must inform the weekend boarding staff by Friday at 15.00 in order to ensure you are accounted for over the weekend in case of emergency._

_You may be wondering what you have to look forward to during the semester to come, besides going to classes & partaking in extra-curricular activities. Here at Dalton Academy, we take pride in social events, whether internal, external and or with other high schools within our region. Upon the return of all buses this Sunday, there will be a new semester party in the boarding house's dining hall for all students, boarders or otherwise, running from 19.00 - 23.00 with lights out at 00.00 to allow all students to attend the party for its full duration._

_Have a wonderful weekend,_

_Mr. H Thornton_

_Your Principal_

* * *

"Kurt, please don't go. Stay here with me this weekend."

Kurt unzipped his bag and began to place his already worn clothes into his bag, which he had spent the last half an hour folding. He shook his head, "My dad is expecting me to go home this weekend. Plus, I'll have to wear the same outfits twice in a fortnight." Kurt physically shuddered at the thought.

Blaine whined, laying back on his bed, staring at the ceiling, "But he'll have Finn to worry about. He won't even know you've stayed here."

Kurt chuckled, "You mean he won't notice that his son isn't there because his stepson's a handful? I don't think it works like that. I'm sorry, but I have to go." Kurt stood up straight and looked over at Blaine, admiring his toned chest through his thin white t-shirt. He said weakly, Blaine unable to hear him, "You could come with me."

Blaine rolled over to look at Kurt, "What was that? I didn't hear you."

Kurt shook his head, and returned to his wardrobe, folding his uniform so that he could wash it whilst at home, "Forget it. I'm being ridiculous." Blaine stood up and walked over to Kurt, wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his chin on Kurt's shoulder. Kurt said in a sing-song voice, "It doesn't matter."

Blaine replied, tilting his head towards Kurt's neck, his warm breath dancing on his pale skin, "Kurt, if you said it, then it matters. Ridiculous or not, anything you say matters, at least to me."

Kurt relaxed into Blaine's arms, dropping one of his uniform shirts, cringing a bit at the idea of creases in his clothes, despite already wearing it, "I was just saying maybe you could come with me." He paused and then began to stutter, "I- I- I mean not necessarily this week but maybe sometime before fall break or something. I just- I mean- I don't want to leave you but I also can't not see my dad."

Blaine smiled, before pressing a kiss to the back of Kurt's neck, "Maybe you should tell your dad about me first, and then wait until fall break. My brother is filming in Miami that week so I'm planning on staying at Nick's in Bellefontaine, but I'm sure we can work something out."

Kurt turned around in Blaine's arms, staring into his golden eyes, "You sure you'd be able to put up with Finn for a whole week?"

Blaine smiled wider, "I honestly surprised you aren't freaking out at me basically forcing myself on you for fall break."

Kurt sighed, resting his head on Blaine's shoulder, "I know we've only been seeing each other for a day and a half, and maybe we're going faster into this than we should be, but for now it feels right." He lifted his head up to look into Blaine's eyes once more, noticing bronze speckles in amongst the gold, "Plus, I don't think I'm going to be able to survive one weekend without you, never mind a whole week."

Blaine pressed his lips briefly against Kurt's, "Do you think your dad would be okay with it?"

Kurt nodded, biting his bottom lip, "He's very understanding. At first he might disagree, but he'll come round if I explain everything to him."

Blaine grinned as he leant closer again, his lips ghosting over Kurt's once more, "Everything? You're going to tell him about every single time I've kissed you?"

Kurt whispered against the other boy's lips, sending a chill down Blaine's spine, "Okay, maybe not. But I'll talk to him about our situation... Over the next couple of weeks. I'll tell him about you this weekend, build up a good reputation for you, and I'll ask when he knows more about you."

Blaine grazed his lips against Kurt's preparing to kiss him, when suddenly their bedroom door swung open, causing them to both jump back from each other, and Kurt to fall into his open wardrobe, bruising his back as he hit the hard wood. Sam yelled after Finn as he walked in, "Finn Christopher Hudson! You're gonna have to face the cinnamon challenge!"

He replied, panicked, "I think this is void of the cinnamon challenge forfeit!"

Finn's eyes were wide with worry. Kurt pushed himself up from the wardrobe, becoming extremely aware of the pain as he flinched with every movement. Blaine extended a hand and pulled Kurt up, pulling him in for an apologetic hug for letting go of him so suddenly.

Finn stood in silence, phone in hand, unable to put his thoughts into words. Kurt slowly walked towards him and took the phone from his hand, Finn not protesting in the slightest as he sat on one of the desk chairs, his knees unable to support him any longer. Kurt had no idea what would make Finn burst in like this, but he knew that what was on his phone screen was the answer.

Kurt looked at the lit-up screen and read the open text, before covering his mouth and letting the phone slip from his hand onto the floor in shock:

_**From: Dave Karofsky  
**__Guess who got a late admission into Dalton? Hope your gaylord stepbrother is planning on blending in more here, or else he's in for a ride this year - Karofsky_

Finn and Kurt stared at each other for a few long seconds, before Kurt said weakly, "I thought I was free from bullies here."

Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand from behind, trying desperately to figure out what was happening, "Kurt?"

Kurt turned to face Blaine, "This kid, Karofsky... He's been giving me crap since freshman year and... he's got in on a late admission-"

Blaine pointed out, "0% tolerance on bullying here."

Kurt tried to hold back his tears, "That won't stop him."

Finn stood up, "I don't want to seem like your shield, dude, but we'll protect you."

Kurt narrowed his eyes at Finn, and if looks could kill, Finn would have been a corpse on the floor, "I can take care of myself. I thought we went through this last year, Finn. I'm not a damsel in distress. I just don't resort to physical contact and violence to sort my differences."

Finn took a step back, "Jesus, I'm sorry. I just- I'll be here for moral support, okay? I know it's gonna be tough. I'll help in any way you want. Just tell me what you want and I'll help the best I can."

Kurt nodded, tears welling up in his eyes, "I need a minute."

He ran out the door and down the corridor towards the bathroom. He heard someone shout after him, someone he wished would follow him even though he was running away as fast as his legs would allow, "Kurt! Wait!"

But he kept on running, waiting until he was away from everyone, from everything before he could let his true feelings escape, even if deep down he wanted to be found.

* * *

Blaine walked into the first floor bathroom, unsure as to whether or not Kurt had actually ran off here. He yelled, panicked, "Kurt! Kurt, you in here?" Suddenly, he heard a deep breath, "Nice try for trying to stay quiet, babe. Come on. I want to help."

Blaine stood by the door for a few seconds, before he heard a cubicle lock being slid across and one of the doors opening. Kurt slowly walked out, wiping his tears away against his shirt sleeve. He looked at himself in a mirror before walking back into the cubicle and locking the door. Blaine ran over to the cubicle and knocked on the door, "Kurt!"

Kurt sniffed and replied through laboured breaths, "I don't want you to see me like this."

Blaine sighed deeply, "Babe, I want to help." Kurt chuckled slightly, before Blaine continued, "What?"

He heard Kurt murmur almost inaudibly, "Where has babe come from? That's two times in one minute."

Blaine could feel a blush creeping into his cheeks, "That's unimportant right now, ba- Kurt. Just come out here." There was a few seconds of silence before he added, "I climbed out of one of these once, you know? A lock got stuck last year. I'm pretty sure I could do it in reverse and climb in if you don't come ou-"

The door opened again. This time, Blaine was faced with a teary Kurt, but he was smiling for some reason, almost as if that one comment had cheered Kurt up a little. Blaine couldn't find any words to reassure his roommate, so instead settled for pulling him into a hug, making Kurt sob all over again. Blaine whispered, "Sssshhh! I know. It's okay. Let it out."

The bathroom door swung open. Blaine pushed Kurt back a little and closed the cubicle door, leaning against it so that whoever had just entered wouldn't come in. Kurt kept quiet, whilst still letting his tears fall down his cheeks and onto his white shirt sleeve, leaving a horrible wet stain. Sam's voice echoed around the room, "Kurt, Blaine, you in here?"

Blaine raised an eyebrow at Kurt who shook his head, waiting for Sam to leave before he explained himself. They heard the door open and close again, leaving them alone in the bathroom once more. Kurt smiled once more, "I'm glad you came and found me, you know?"

Blaine pulled Kurt into another hug, "I will always come find you. Now, are you going to tell me why this has upset you so much?"

Kurt shuddered at the memories of Karofsky tormenting him, "I was just hoping that I finally managed to get away from all the arse holes. But now- I'm just tired of having to defend myself and having people think they should defend me."

Blaine wiped his thumb under Kurt's eye, catching the remaining tears as he did. He then grabbed the hem of Kurt's shirt, causing Kurt to protest and bat his hands away, "What are you doing?"

Blaine informed calmly, "Kurt, chill out. I'm just checking your bruises. You did hit the back of that wardrobe pretty hard."

Kurt nodded for Blaine to go ahead and turned around so that it would make it easier for Blaine to see the bruises. Blaine hitched the hem of Kurt's shirt up his back, flinching slightly at the sight before him. Whilst he was slightly aroused by how well defined Kurt's back muscles were, with shadows casting down on Kurt's pale skin into the crevices his muscles formed on his skin, it was ruined by several patches of purple, blue, red and brown which had formed all over his back as a result of slamming into the wood. Blaine sighed, "I'm so sorry I let go. I promise you I won't let go again."

Kurt chuckled lightly, a little more at ease than he had been when Blaine had entered the bathroom, "I'm sorta hoping that has a double meaning."

Blaine dropped Kurt's shirt from his hands and wrapped his arms around his waist, lightly placing kisses down his neck in between each word, "Let's... not... jump... into... this... any... quicker... than... we... already... have." He rested his forehead against Kurt's temple, "Someday though, I want to be able to call you my boyfriend. But right now, I want to make sure that this Karofsky doesn't give you a hard time."

Kurt turned around and beamed at Blaine, "Do you really mean that? Wanting to call me your boyfriend?"

Blaine smiled, "If that's okay with you."

Kurt nodded and threw a hug around Blaine, "It's more than okay."

* * *

Blaine had walked with Kurt and the others across campus to say goodbye, before they got on the bus to go back to Lima for the weekend. Kurt and Blaine both stood outside the bus, embracing each other as if this was the last time they would ever see each other. Joe said as he stepped onto the bus, "It's a weekend, guys. You'll survive."

Blaine rolled his eyes and tightened his hug around Kurt, unable to believe that a week ago he didn't even know the boy he had admitted to wanting to be his boyfriend. Blaine leant back slightly to look into Kurt's eyes, "You have my number. Text me during the weekend, yeah?"

Kurt nodded and smiled, "At what point would I not? I miss you already and you're still in my arms."

Blaine grinned widely briefly, before leaning in to kiss Kurt, his lips curved into a smile as they moved in sync with Kurt's lips, unable to find any will power to pull away. He still didn't think it was right to add any tongue to the kiss, almost certain that the feeling was mutual, so he just settled for allowing Kurt to pull his bottom lip out slightly as they pulled away. Kurt smiled, "Do you want anything from the outside world?"

Blaine chuckled slightly, letting his head fall forward onto Kurt's shoulder, "Actually if you wouldn't mind getting the newest edition of Vogue for me, and some snacks for us to eat in the evenings. Oh, and bring some DVDs or something so when we finish our homework, we can sit and watch them."

"You just want an opportunity to snuggle up to me, don't you Anderson?" Kurt gave him a flirtatious wink as a part of his response.

Blaine nodded excitedly, "Don't even care that you caught me red-handed."

Finn walked past them and onto the bus, "Kurt, come on. The bus is gonna leave in a minute."

Kurt released his grip from around Blaine, "I'll text you in a second."

Blaine nodded in response and took Kurt's hand briefly, "I won't answer straight away. Texting and driving is dangerous."

Kurt chuckled, "So you're being responsible now?"

Blaine smiled, "To tell you the truth, I was just trying to impress you."

Kurt planted a peck onto Blaine's cheek before replying, "You never needed to. You had me interested from 'My name's Blaine'."

Blaine bit his lip, "Well, I didn't know." He briefly paused before continuing hesitantly, "You don't want the bus to leave without you. Get going."

Kurt nodded and turned to walk up the bus steps. He looked over his shoulder, "Bye Blaine. Miss you already."

Blaine replied sincerely, "Miss you too. See you on Sunday."

And with that, Kurt disappeared around the corner onto the bus. The windows were tinted, unable to be seen through from the outside, so although Blaine desperately tried to find Kurt on the bus, there was no hope. Suddenly, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He fumbled as he pulled it out to see a text message appear on his screen:

_**From: Kurt Hummel  
**__Should I bring my Harry Potter box set back with me? - K xoxox_

Blaine smiled at the text and replied:

_**To: Kurt Hummel  
**__Only if you'll protect me from Voldermort - B xoxox_

_**From: Kurt Hummel  
**__He's not gonna jump out the screen, Blaine. It's a movie. Not real life. - K xoxox_

_**To: Kurt Hummel  
**__So waiting all these years for my Hogwarts letter has been wasted time? Damn! That's annoying - B xoxox_

_**From: Kurt Hummel  
**__Yeah, you goofball! You're also wasting your time standing outside the bus, waiting for it to go. I can see you, you know? - K xoxox_

_**To: Kurt Hummel  
**__Figured you might be able to. Want to wave you goodbye as the bus leaves - B xoxox_

Blaine didn't have to wait any longer. The bus door closed shut automatically, and the engine roared with more energy than before as the driver put it into drive. It began to drive off out of the car park, Blaine waving as it did, before he was deserted by the Lima bus, and although many other students were walking to their buses and congregating in the car park to see their friends off or to wait for their parents to pick them up, Blaine felt alone. At least he had some of his Warbler friends to go back to, even if half of them had left to go see their families this weekend. But there was a pit in his stomach he couldn't explain, and he wanted it to go away.

* * *

_Hey Cooper,_

_Haven't heard from you since I returned to Dalton. I'm assuming that means you're too busy filming in Toronto to text or email me, so I thought I'd get the email ball rolling. _

_Speaking of filming, how is the filming for that motorbike advert going? Hope you haven't injured yourself by being stupid and doing tricks. I know what you're like, so it wouldn't surprise me if you are in the ER whilst I'm typing this email._

_Okay, Coop, I need to tell you something, and who knows when I'm going to get to talk to you over the phone or face-to-face, so I'm going to tell you on here, and if you have any strong opinion against it, I'm sure I'll get a response in some way. I always do. And after Jamie, I wouldn't be surprised if I got a response._

_You know how you were telling me the whole gay thing is a phase? Well, Coop, it's 3 years since my first kiss (which you and I both know I initiated with a guy), okay? I had a crush on Wes last year, and you told me that I had given up on girls because I was at an all-male school, and this will probably involve the same argument. _

_But basically, there's this guy called Kurt, who I met on Monday. He's my roommate and he's amazing and well, I... I've been flirting with him and singing to him and playing piano with him and just hanging out with him too. But since Wednesday, some, er, intimate moments have been dotted around here and there. I know, Coop. You're going to tell me this is part of a phase, and that I'm being silly and that deep down I like girls like you do, and I don't want to disappoint you. But I don't get where you got this idea from. Mum and Dad are completely at ease with everything, and when I tell them about Kurt, it won't be any exception._

_I just want to keep you up to date with my life, no matter how much you might disapprove, but we need to talk properly to catch up and to talk about any issues and conflicts we are having about certain aspects of our lives, so please reply, Cooper. Please. I know you might be mad at what I said above, but I want to be able to talk to you about it as if I did like girls. I want to know that we'll get through any disagreements. Just reply when you get out of the ER._

_I love you, Cooper._

_From, Blaine, your little brother._

* * *

"Dad, Carole, we're home."

It took Carole less than a second to appear from the kitchen, running up to hug her son and stepson, "Hello, boys. Your dad's still at the tyre shop. Something about a bus having punctures in all four tyres."

Finn replied, "Yeah, that was our bus. There was a police spike trap, which the bus driver didn't notice. Clearly a high speed chase happening nearby otherwise why would it have been there?"

Kurt snorted as Finn had rambled on. Finn looked down at him and narrowed his eyes, "What?"

Kurt replied, "You, rambling on about how it might have been to do with a high speed chase. I think it's obvious so there's no need to mention it."

Finn rolled his eyes, "I'm borderline mentioning Blaine to Mum now." He paused, his eyes widening as Kurt hit him across the stomach. He deserved it and he knew it. He continued, "Dude, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to actually say anything."

Carole gave Finn a knowing look, "How about you go put your dirty clothes into the hamper, honey? I'll take it from here."

Finn didn't hesitate. He grabbed his bag and carried it upstairs as quickly as he could, and disappeared off down the upstairs landing. It wasn't until Carole heard a slam of his bedroom door above them that she decided to ask, "So, who's Blaine?"

Kurt looked down at his feet, hoping his blushing wasn't noticeable, "He's just my roommate. We're friends. I mean, we have to be, don't we? Otherwise it would make our year hell."

Carole used an accusing tone, dragging out each sound in his name, "Kuuuurrrttt..."

Kurt gave in, looking at her directly in her emerald green eyes, ones filled with love for him, despite not being her birth son, "Alright, alright. We're not boyfriends. But we are seeing each other. He kind of serenaded me, and I can't stop thinking about him. Is that what you wanted to hear?" Carole nodded, causing Kurt to raise an eyebrow, "Why would you want to know that?"

She stretched a hand out and placed it on Kurt's shoulder, "Because, honey, I wanted to know that things were going your way for once."

Kurt smiled, before remembering who texted Finn earlier that day. His smile faded, "I don't think we'll get as far as calling each other 'boyfriend' though."

Carole sighed disappointedly, "Why's that?"

A glint of fear shone through Kurt's eyes, "Karofsky got into Dalton under the late admissions scheme."

* * *

Blaine and Thad sat in Wes' and Thad's room, Wes nowhere to be seen and probably at home for the weekend. Blaine had told Thad everything about the situation between Kurt and Karofsky, as much as he knew anyway. He needed advice on how he could help Kurt without him knowing and Thad was the most sensible and thoughtful person he knew.

Blaine sighed, "I don't know what to do. He seems so worked up about this Karofsky kid. He thinks that he's gonna get bullied here like back at McKinley, and it hurts that I can't convince him otherwise."

Thad shifted uncomfortably, "Blaine, I'm going to level with you. You get involved is probably gonna make everything worse. I mean, if it is homophobic behaviour like Kurt told you it is, then being with him and being there for him is going to put him more danger." Thad could see the hurt now in Blaine's eyes, "I know. You both like each other, and it will be hard, but for now, until you know what this Karofsky is capable of at least, you can't be with him. Not like that. Go back to being friends or something. Just don't put him in the firing line any more than he already is."

Blaine shook his head, "But, Thad, you don't get how difficult it is. Being gay. When you find someone who has mutual feelings, you do everything in your power to make it work. We don't take it for granted because of how rare it can be. Maybe, maybe I'm being selfish, but I know that putting it on hold is not an option I am willing to take, and I'm sure Kurt doesn't want to do that either."

Thad's eyes widened, "Calm down, Anderson. I'm just saying, wait a little. I get it. It's hard-"

Blaine stood up, a little angry at everything, "What kind of a world do we live in? Why do people have to be closed-minded? Why can't they see that a relationship between two gay guys is the same as a relationship between a guy and a girl? The only difference is, there are moments when we treasure more because they are harder to find. If anything that just makes it all the more romantic. Why don't I deserve that as much as the next guy?"

Thad sat forward and replied calmly, "You do, Blaine. Okay, how about this? Just don't flaunt what you and Kurt have. We'll all sort this Karofsky out and then you can reevaluate."

Blaine nodded, replying weakly, "Okay. Okay. So no affection outside our room. Got it."

Thad smiled, "You and Kurt. You make a cute couple you know."

Blaine turned away, a blush creeping up through his face, "I wouldn't call us cute." He turned around and folded his arms, leaning against one of the room's desk, "And we're not a couple. Yet."

Thad snorted in response, "Be honest. You're going to ask him to be your boyfriend at the party on Sunday." Blaine looked down at his feet, awkwardly shuffling them against the carpet. Thad's tone turned into shock, "I was calling your bluff. Are you actually?" Blaine nodded but didn't speak. Thad jumped up and flung his arms around Blaine, "I'm happy for you."

Blaine patted Thad on the shoulder, "You're more excited than I am about it."

Thad grinned, "Well, you deserve every bit of happiness and I'm happy you're trying to achieve it, no matter what is going on that might jeopardise it. Forget what I said about going back to being friends. Forget all of that. You deserve this happiness. You do. I'm not gonna let my wise words take that away from you. Go for it, man."

Blaine smiled back, "Thanks, Thad. That means a lot to me."

* * *

_**From: Cooper Anderson  
**__Hey Blaine, got your email. You might be surprised to read what I'm about to type. I know I haven't been supportive of the whole gay thing, but I can honestly say I am happy for you, regardless of who it is. I'm happy that my little brother has found someone that seems to make him happy. Love you, lil bro - Coop_

_**To: Cooper Anderson  
**__Thanks Coop, that means a lot. How was the ER? - B_

_**From: Cooper Anderson  
**__... It was beautiful thank you... The nurses were really nice to me... It's annoying you know me well enough to know I would end up there... - Coop_

_**To: Cooper Anderson  
**__What can I say? You're my brother. Plus, you haven't exactly got an amazing track record when it comes to stunt adverts ;) - B_

_**From: Cooper Anderson  
**__I'll prove you wrong someday, lil bro. You'll see! - Coop_

_**To: Cooper Anderson  
**__I'll hold you to that, Coop - B_

* * *

Kurt sat with his family to eat dinner that Saturday evening. Not much had happened over the weekend. He'd gone and done a bit of shopping, remembering to buy two copies of Vogue: one for him and the other for Blaine. He'd also bought a new outfit for the party the following night. Apart from that, he sat with his father, Carole and Finn in the living room, creating friendly conversation whilst lazing around in front of the TV all afternoon. A part of Kurt wondered if it would have been more exciting to stay at Dalton with Blaine, and he was almost certain it would have been, but this way he could bring back some of his things he meant to take with him, not to mention the list he had made since he returned home. Unfortunately, Mercedes had fallen ill as the week went on, and as much as Kurt suggested he went to visit her, Mercedes was insistent that he stayed away, making sure that he wouldn't make "lover boy" ill later in the week, so eventually Kurt settled for seeing Mercedes the following weekend instead.

Kurt still couldn't figure out how to tell his father about Blaine. What could he say? That he was falling for a guy he's not even known a week yet? That they're seeing each other on top of that? That he had this instant connection with Blaine, one which he couldn't explain?

He prodded at his peas, watching them twirling around in the remaining gravy on his plate as Finn and Burt discussed how they were going to see an ice hockey game during fall break, not that Kurt was paying all that much attention. He was a little worried about his father's reaction to his plans for fall break, but he knew that in time, he'd come around. That was, if Kurt ever figured out what to say to his dad about Blaine.

Kurt felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He didn't hesitate to slide it out into his hand, silently hoping that it was Blaine. His lips twisted into a genuine smile, which was difficult to achieve considering that he knew he'd be facing Karofsky once more as of tomorrow for a semester, because he was sure that Karofsky wouldn't survive more than that in a place like Dalton. It was far too sophisticated for a Neanderthal like Karofsky.

Kurt unlocked his phone to reveal what the text had to say:

_**From: Blaine Anderson  
**__Okay, I have one! I hope you know CPR because you take my breath away ;) - B xoxox_

_**To: Blaine Anderson  
**__OMG! Hahahaha! Trying to hold back my laughter at the dinner table! That's the cheesiest pick up line either of us has texted all weekend, just saying! - K xoxox_

_**From: Blaine Anderson  
**__You loved it and you know it ;) - B xoxox_

_**To: Blaine Anderson  
**__I'll never reveal if I did or not ;) Okay, I have one. Did you have Lucky Charms for breakfast, because you look magically delicious ;) - K xoxox_

"KURT ELIZABETH HUMMEL!"

Kurt jumped at his father's shout, his heart thumping wildly in his chest out of fright and because of Blaine's texts making his heart flutter. Burt was staring at Kurt, his eyes narrowed, his lips pursed, "You know the rule. No texting at the dinner table. Who's more important than your family anyway? You've been glued to your phone since you got here."

Kurt stuttered, "It- it- it's just my roommate, Dad."

Burt's eyes widened in realisation. Obviously, Carole had spoken to him. Burt dropped his cutlery and dabbed his mouth with his napkin before leaning across the table to talk to Kurt as Finn awkwardly shifted on his chair and gave his mother a pleading look to be excused, pretending he wasn't there. Carole shook her head and pointed at Finn's plate, causing Finn to continue eating, even though he felt awkward about Burt having this talk with Kurt in front of him.

Burt cleared his throat, "Look, Kurt. I've heard a little bit about this Blaine kid." Kurt raised an eyebrow at his father, confused as to how his father was using Blaine's name before he mentioned it, even though he knew Finn and or Carole had told him. Burt continued, "I've also heard that the feeling is mutual. Now I can't say I'm too happy about how quick I've heard it's been going and I don't want you to rush into something where you could end up getting hurt. Now I'm not saying you shouldn't give whatever's happening a go. I'm just saying you should maybe take it slower."

Kurt nodded in response, poking holes absentmindedly into his roast potatoes with his fork, "Okay, Dad. I'll take it slower. But, are you sure you're okay with me seeing someone?"

Burt shrugged and leant back in his chair, "My little boy has to grow up sometime, doesn't he?"

Kurt smiled sincerely, "Thanks, Dad, for being so understanding."

Burt wiggled his eyebrows, "That's quite alright, son. Now, finish your dinner and then you can text him, understood?"

Kurt nodded as he shoved a roast potato in his mouth, unable to care at his lack of manners although he mentally cringed inside, thinking that a combination of Blaine's and Finn's eating habits were rubbing off on him. But his mindset was also on finishing his meal as soon as he could so that way he could text Blaine sooner. He looked down at his phone once more before slipping it back in his jeans pockets:

_**From: Blaine Anderson  
**__If kisses were snowflakes, I'd give you a blizzard xxxxxxxxxxx - B xoxox_

Kurt smiled at that last text, knowing that Blaine was almost certainly telling the truth, and even though it was just another cheesy pick-up line like they had been texting each other for most of the day, Kurt thought it was also the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to him. That text from Blaine made all of Kurt's worries about Karofsky disappear, knowing that when he got back to his Dalton bedroom, a blizzard would descend, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

Kurt unlocked his bedroom door, unable to contain his excitement that he was finally back at Dalton. He had ran from the car park and across campus, deserting his friends in the process, because he was so excited to see Blaine again. He turned the doorknob and swung the door open, not even fully walking into the room before he was enveloped into a hug by Blaine. Kurt dropped his bag down by their feet before wrapping his arms around Blaine and then kicked the door shut with his foot. He chuckled softly as he kissed the top of the shorter boy's head, "Hey."

Blaine smiled up at him, "Hey. I missed you."

Kurt murmured happily, "I missed you too, Blaine. But I'm back now."

Blaine placed his head on Kurt's shoulder, "Never leave me again. This room was so lonely without you."

Kurt sighed, "I need to go home next weekend. Need to build up your reputation." Blaine looked up at him, his eyes filled with disappointment. Kurt briefly rubbed his nose against Blaine's as he answered Blaine's look, "Do you want to come over for fall break or not?"

Blaine nodded, "I do. Is it really necessary you go home every weekend before fall break though?"

Kurt half-smiled, torn between leaving Blaine here again and going home so that way he wouldn't have to go a week without him, "Probably. My dad's known to be stubborn when he's made up his mind, so I need all the time I can get to change his mind once I ask." Kurt looked into Blaine's eyes, a flash of desire surging through Blaine's honey coloured irises as he did, "You can kiss me whenever you want, you know? I can tell you want to, and I certainly won't stop you."

Blaine grinned, not even caring that a blush was creeping into his cheeks at the same time. He repeated one of his text messages from the weekend, "If kisses were snowflakes, I'd give you a blizzard."

Kurt's heart threatened to leap out of his chest. He had imagined Blaine saying those words in his mind after reading it several times, but actually hearing Blaine say it when he had no idea just how much it meant to him made Kurt feel like he was flying high in the sky. Before he could reply, Blaine had finally pressed his lips against Kurt's, a smile forming on both sets of lips as the kiss drew on. Next thing Kurt knew, Blaine's tongue ran along his bottom lip, hinting that he wanted to try something new. Kurt didn't hesitate to let Blaine in, his tongue now dancing in rhythm with Blaine's. Kurt felt chills radiate through his body at the sensation, but these were shivers of pleasure, shivers which he never wanted to stop.

After a couple of minutes, they both pulled away simultaneously, both of them gasping for air. They stared at each other for a few moments, taking in the oxygen they desperately needed, watching each other's chests rise and fall in perfect synchronisation with their own. Kurt took in a deep breath and then was breathing at a normal pace, as if nothing had happened. Blaine on the other hand took in repeated deep breaths, still trying to regain air. Kurt chuckled slightly, "Well that was new."

Blaine stuttered through his heavy breathing, "Hopefully that won't be the last time either."

Kurt lightly brushed one of Blaine's curls off of his forehead and back into the gel to make it appear neat once again, "Maybe after you've regained some control over your lungs, Anderson. Otherwise I might have to perform CPR."

Blaine giggled lightly, causing Kurt's heart to do yet another somersault for at least the tenth time since he walked into the room alone, "Well, what can I say? You take my breath away."

Kurt placed a few light kisses to Blaine's jawline before pressing a gentle one to his lips, not deepening it in fear that Blaine's breathing might worsen and the CPR thing would no longer be a joke.

Kurt then asked, "You know what you said before that amazing kiss?"

Blaine smiled goofily, "What? If kisses were snowflakes, I'd give you a blizzard?"

"No one has ever said something so sweet to me in my entire life. That text put me in such a good mood that I don't care what the world throws at me, because at the end of the day, I know I'll get my blizzard." Kurt blushed slightly at the fact he had admitted that to Blaine.

Blaine cupped Kurt's cheek in his hand, "I didn't know that had such an impact." Kurt nodded before Blaine continued, "I promise you that that will always remain true."

And even though Blaine had only known Kurt for 6 days, he knew that every last syllable of his promise was something he'd never want to break.

* * *

_Dear Journal,_

_As much as it pains me to say it, I'm bummed out that I'm getting ready for this party, because it means the semester is starting tomorrow. I thought I was excited for lessons and that summer vacation was boring me, but it couldn't be any further from the truth. I mean, yeah, I should be proud. I'm taking (amongst sophomore classes as well, obviously) AP English, AP Math, AP Geography and AP French, meaning that I'm mixed in with the junior year classes, but surely that means I'll have to work harder. Just, why? Wish I hadn't worked as hard as I did last year, but gotta live up to my parents' academic expectations of me._

_At the same time though, I'm excited. I mean, since when has Blaine Devon Anderson passed off a good party? Never, that's when. A chance to have a good time after all. I can't wait for that. Have a good time with my friends: Warblers, McKinley transfers... Kurt. _

_I'm going to dance with him tonight, during a slow song or something, and at the end, I'm going to ask him if we can make it official, if we can start to call each other 'boyfriend', because I'd like that. I'd like it more than I'm willing to admit to anyone but myself. _

_I told him 'if kisses were snowflakes, I'd give him a blizzard' and I would. I don't think there's anything more truthful that I could say to him. Right now, I just haven't had the time to give him his blizzard, but I'm sure after the party, we'll come back, share a few kisses and then head to bed, completely in bliss of being each other's, assuming he agrees to making it official. Sugar honey ice tea, what if he rejects that idea? Gotta shake that thought away. The future's unknown; I know it's unknown. I just need to think positively about the unknown._

_Anyway, my wardrobe isn't going to pick out an outfit for me and then dress me so must dash. I'll write later about how the party went._

_- Blaine_

* * *

_Dear Journal,_

_'If kisses were snowflakes, I'd give you a blizzard.' _

_That sentence came out of his mouth today. It came out of his mouth and I have to go all 'keep calm and carry on' about it. I mean, I did tell him it was the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to me, but it was more of a passing comment than anything. At least it felt like that to me. I don't think he meant anything by it, even though he promised me it would remain true, because he can't promise something like that if he isn't serious about what we have, and he wouldn't be already, would he? Sweet merciful lord, what if he is serious about us already? Granted, I've never been so sure of anything in my life, but what if he's thinking the same?_

_I WANT TO MAKE THIS OFFICIAL! I'm just going to come right out with it at the party tonight, under the disco ball, the bright lights, the loud party music. I'm going to ask him to be my boyfriend, and if he says no then I'll be cool with it because I gave it a try and we can just remain with whatever this is for now until he's certain about whether or not this is right for him. It's definitely right for me. Or maybe he just might not be ready yet... We'll see what happens._

_One other thing I've learnt today, I packed too many party outfits to choose from. I've narrowed it down to smart black trousers, a low cut dark red shirt and a black scarf, or denim skinny jeans, low cut purple t-shirt and a black sweater, but I can't decide between the two. Would it be weird to ask Blaine for his opinion? Actually, he reads Vogue. He must have some fashionable eye of some sort. I'll ask him._

_- Kurt_

* * *

**A/N:** Seasons Greetings everyone. Hope you are all having a great day. Basically, I couldn't sleep last night because I'm one of those people who gets far too excited the night before Christmas and it takes me ages to be calm enough to sleep. So basically, I was up til 4 this fine Christmas morning, writing this chapter (and it helped that I had a brainwave meaning I could complete it without getting stuck).

So yeah, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you're having a great winter holiday, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or are just on a winter break. Surprisingly there were no songs in this chapter, but the next chapter's the party and possibly Warbler auditions so there will be plenty next chapter, or maybe the next two. PLEASE REVIEW!

Also I keep mentioning the cinnamon challenge - for all those who don't know what it is, it involves eating a teaspoon of cinnamon (DO NOT ACTUALLY TRY THIS - it's horrible; trust me, I've attempted it before). Anyway, I'm rambling. I'll stop talking now.

In short, Happy Holidays, hope you enjoyed the chapter, please review, and don't try the cinnamon challenge! - foreveragleek44


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **HAPPY NEW YEAR READERS! Hope you're all having a great 2013 so far! I realised that maybe putting the song URLs at the beginning of each chapter might be a bit more sensible so you can have a listen whilst the song is being used. Just add each ending to the youtube . com URL. First song (sung by the McKinley boys) is Do You Feel What I Feel? by JLS (jump to 0:35) - /watch?v=olrHnKp95mY. Second song (background music) is Single Ladies by Beyoncé (btw, if you don't want your ovaries to explode or to die from fangirling, then I advise against watching this) - /watch?v=5Fr0dnSw64U. Third song (sung by Blaine and the Warblers) is Drive By by Train (jump to 0:10) - /watch?v=oxqnFJ3lp5k. Fourth song (sung by Sam, Finn & Puck featuring the Warblers) is Dancing in the Moonlight by Toploader - /watch?v=0yBnIUX0QAE. ENJOY THE CHAPTER :)

**Warning: **Some homophobic language half way through the chapter - only for about 4 sentences though

* * *

_Dalton Academy - New Semester Party_

_Boarding House Dining Hall_

_Sunday 2nd September 2012_

_19.00 - 23.00_

_Music, food & entertainment throughout the evening_

_No alcohol or smoking allowed_

_Please be considerate to the neighbours surrounding our school by keeping the noise within the previously agreed limit_

_(Warblers: no inappropriate songs if you decide to burst out into song)_

_Hope you all have a great evening_

_~ Mr H Thornton ~_

* * *

Kurt and Blaine walked down the grand staircase of the boarding house hand in hand. There were people rushing past them, really excited for the party already in full swing in the dining hall. They could hear the music's beat from their room, knowing that the party had started 30 minutes earlier than originally planned. It was only when they heard Sam and Joe leaving their room, laughing loudly at something they were talking about, that Blaine suggested they began to head down to the party.

Kurt walked stiffly beside him, his hand gripping Blaine's tighter when they reached the bottom of the stairs. Blaine asked, confused, "You okay, Kurt?" Kurt just nodded but didn't relax, "Hey, what's up?" Kurt shook his head. Blaine stopped and turned to look at Kurt, "You can tell me. Come on, we're friends."

Kurt held back a snigger at that, "Friends? Really? That's what you went with? If I remember rightly, you were kissing me less than an hour ago."

Blaine bit his lip, briefly reminiscing what happened upon Kurt's return but then snapped out of his daydream quickly, "That's not important right now. I can tell something's not right." He brought their hands up and wedged them in between their chests, lightly stroking Kurt's knuckles with his thumb, "What's up?"

Kurt sighed, not relaxing in the slightest as he did, "Well, these kinds of parties aren't really my thing. I prefer something much more black tie and calmer. And on top of that, I'm gonna be faced with Karofsky for the first time, and I just... I don't want him to get you involved. But if he knows about you, he will."

Blaine let go of Kurt's hand and took a step back, "If you want, we could just go back to our room and watch The Philosopher's Stone. I mean, there will be plenty more parties I can go to throughout the semester, and I want you to feel completely at ease with everything else before you even dare to step out of your comfort zone by doing something that you wouldn't normally." Kurt rolled his eyes and reached forward to take Blaine's hand, who took another step back, "As for not wanting Karofsky to know about us, maybe we should keep the physical contact to a minimum, just until the party's in full swing and it's so crowded in there that he won't find us that easily."

Kurt shook his head hesitantly, "Well, I'm not happy about that. I want to hold your hand, Blaine. And I want to go to the party. I don't want to be the reason you're not going, and by the sounds of things you'll only go if I do. So I'm going. Anyway, it could be fun."

Blaine smiled and laced his fingers between Kurt's once more, "Okay, I'll hold your hand. No more than that. Anyway, by the time you're in there, you'll want both arms to dance more freely. You'll have a blast. Trust me."

Blaine couldn't wait to see Kurt on the dance floor. He was almost certain that Kurt's hips could move in ways which would make it very difficult to not be turned on. He was also convinced that Kurt would loosen up and just appear like he felt free from everything, even if parties weren't his thing. Blaine was snapped out of his thoughts by a tug of his arm, and Kurt saying, "Come on. Let's go have some fun before the semester starts."

They swiftly walked across the foyer, both of them feeling excited about the thumping of the music behind the grand oak doors.

Kurt took a deep breath and pushed one of the doors open, stepping inside quickly before he changed his mind, with Blaine walking in right by his side. Kurt's jaw dropped open at the sight before him. The dining hall had been completely transformed. The oak tables were nowhere to be seen, creating a huge space for all the students to enjoy their evening in. The usual electrical chandeliers were switched off, being replaced by colourful floor lights lined up at the edge of the room; green and red lasers hung from the ceiling, creating patterns on the floor; several spotlights constantly moved around the room on their swivel joints attached to the edge of the wall and ceiling; and somewhere, although Kurt couldn't figure out where it was coming from, many ultraviolet lights made everything seem like it was tinted violet and other deep shades of purple. The maple balcony railings were covered in LED lights of all different colours, flashing one after the other as if the lights were moving across the hall in a line. The staff dining tables had also vanished, being replaced by a DJ table and several giant speakers, each of which helped to produce the loud, boisterous party music which would be playing throughout the night. Each curtain and window pane had fluorescent and glittery streamers hanging off them, only emphasised by all the different lights working their magic to change the atmosphere entirely. The room appeared to sparkle, until Kurt noticed that there was a large disco ball hanging from the centre of the ceiling, giving off the multitude of colourful sparkles that danced around the room.

Kurt couldn't believe what he was seeing. He wondered if this is what he had been missing out on whenever Finn was talking about all the parties he went to, and if so why he had declined so many plus-1 invitations that Finn had offered him to avoid taking Rachel so he could get drunk without worrying about a whining girlfriend. Blaine grinned beside him, tightening his grip, as he yelled over the loud lyric-less music track that was currently playing, "Welcome to your first Dalton Academy party."

Kurt stuttered, loud enough to be heard, "I-i-is this normally how these parties are?"

Blaine shouted beside him as he began to tug Kurt closer to the party, "They're different every time, but all of them last year were just as exciting."

Kurt grinned widely, squeezing Blaine's hand who squeezed back, "I think parties are becoming my thing, Anderson. Watch out, you might have yourself a party animal of a roommate. Might have a midnight room party one day."

Blaine turned to look at Kurt and put his arms around Kurt's waist, "Are you sure about that? Because every midnight of the semester, I plan to break the lights out rule and watch a film with you after our curfew."

Kurt's heart began to pound manically, and it wasn't because of the excitement the party had built up inside him, "Or maybe we can do that. Screw parties." Blaine tugged him slightly closer, their chests now touching and their faces really close. Kurt wanted to kiss Blaine right there and then, but instead he gently reminded Blaine, trying to wiggle out of his grip, "Blaine, you were the one who said no more than hand holding. What if Karofsky comes in?"

Blaine whined, "I know, Kurt. But have you seen yourself this evening?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow, "That's what a mirror is for, yes. I'm just dressed how I normally am."

Blaine bit his lip, "I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the lights, or maybe I'm on an adrenaline rush because of the atmosphere, or maybe I'm just falling for you that little bit harder, but you look amazing tonight."

"Whoa! This party is dope."

They both looked over at the door where all the other McKinley boys were now walking in. Puck patted Artie on the shoulder, "Right, let's find Hummel so we can show these Warblers what we're made of."

Kurt leant in and whispered into Blaine's ear, "You're about to see how the New Directions rocked their performances."

Blaine chuckled softly, "Bursting out in song is totally a Warbler thing to do. You guys will be great as Warblers."

Kurt pressed a kiss to Blaine's cheek, before taking Blaine's arms from around his waist, Blaine no longer fighting to keep Kurt in his arms. Kurt smiled as he began to inch over towards his friends, "I won't be long, but I doubt we will be able to dance together when I do get back. Pretty sure Karofsky will be loitering by that point."

Blaine nodded, "Okay, I understand. I- Just have fun performing out there. You'll do great."

* * *

The McKinley boys all congregated under the staff dining balcony, anxiously watching as the party was in full swing by the time they had managed to convince the DJ to play the backing track to the song they wanted to sing. It was rare for Kurt to hold any of their hands, but he was so nervous that he was gripping onto Finn and Joe's hands so tightly that their skin was paper white. Finn chuckled at his side, "Someone's nervous."

Kurt shot him an annoyed look, "I wouldn't have agreed to this if I had known you were giving me a solo. This is the whole school you do realise, and if Karofsky's here yet-"

Sam interrupted, "Kurt, chillax. So what if he's here and we're performing? He's terrorised us before so we know what to expect." Everyone nodded in agreement, with Kurt also giving a small, slow nod. Sam walked past Joe and stood in front of Kurt, "Plus, if you can find Blaine in this crowd, I'm sure singing to him will calm your nerves."

Kurt grimaced, "More likely to make my nerves worse. I'm trying to impress him still."

Before Sam could argue against that, the intro to their song echoed all around the huge dining hall, causing all the McKinley boys to snap into action and begin weaving in and out of the quietening crowd as Artie yelled, "Put your hands in the air baby."

Finn and Sam nodded at each other as they separated into the dancing students and began to sing:

_**There's a girl dancing dirty over there. Do you see what I see?  
**__**The way she moves I just had to stop and stare. Do you see what I see?**_

Kurt weaved in and out of the Dalton student population, desperate to find his short, golden-eyed, gel-haired roommate, hoping that Sam was right and his nerves would disappear as soon as he saw him. So far, there was little success as almost the entire student population must have been there by now, close on 750 people.

Joe and Puck joined in singing with Finn and Sam, with Mike and Artie making a dancing circle in the centre of the hall so Mike could show off some of his dance moves:

_**There's a DJ playing all our favourite songs. Do you hear what I hear?  
**__**We be drinking so we all just sing along. Do you hear what I hear?**_

Suddenly, Kurt was faced with Blaine, who had been shoving his way through the crowd to meet Kurt. Kurt grinned from ear to ear with Blaine mirroring his facial expression. Without thinking fully, Kurt placed his hands on Blaine's hips as they gently swayed to the music, his tight orange capri pants not leaving much to the imagination as he did. Kurt bit his lip, lightly stroking his thumbs over Blaine's hips thoughtlessly as he sang his solo, eyes locking with Blaine's beautiful, deep golden ones:

_**Dancing with you is so easy cause you're beautiful.  
**__**You make it hard for me, boy every time we're on the floor.  
**__**I wanna kiss you cause I gotta know that tonight is real.  
**__**Do you feel what I feel?**_

Kurt let go of Blaine's hips and, with a flirtatious wink, turned around and head towards the centre of the hall, where all the others had now congregated, with a lot of students stopping to watch Mike's dancing and flips. He could see out of the corner of his eye his roommate following close behind. Kurt chuckled to himself. Little did Blaine know that at the end of the evening, Kurt was going to make everything awkward when he asked for them to make what they have official, ending all the fun they seemed to have together.

All the McKinley boys were now standing around the edge of the circle, jumping and swaying a little to the music as everyone else jumped frantically behind them. All the McKinley boys chorused together:

_**Do you feel what I feel? Do you feel what I feel?  
**__**This beat is killing the club.  
**__**Do you feel what I feel?  
**__**Two people falling in love.**_

Artie wheeled himself into the centre of the circle as Mike did a backflip to the edge, and began rapping in true Artie Abrams style, energetically and with plenty of ease:

_**Can you feel the temperature rising?  
**__**Do you feel the drink in your cup?  
**__**Let me cast a beat and we'll ride it.  
**__**Go ahead and put your hands up.**_

Puck then began to yell over the music:

_**Put your hands in the air baby.  
**__**Put your hands up, put your hands up.  
**__**Put your hands up, put your hands up.  
**__**Do you feel what I feel?**_

Kurt took Blaine's hand in his own and dragged him to the centre of the circle with the other McKinley boys, unable to care about whether or not Karofsky saw because he was so hyped from giving this performance. He had really missed performing as a group. He had performed in his bedroom a lot during the summer, and was sometimes joined by Rachel and Mercedes, and one time even Finn, but there was nothing like getting out into the real world and putting on a show, especially at his first high school party where the adrenaline was already pumping through his veins. All the McKinley boys were smiling at each other, giving the group nods of approval. They had clearly missed doing things like this too. They all sang enthusiastically together:

_**This beat is killing the club. Do you feel what I feel?  
**__**Two people falling in love. Do you feel what I feel?  
**__**This beat is killing the club. Do you feel what I feel?  
**__**Two people falling in love. Do you feel what I feel?  
**__**Do you feel, do you feel, do you feel what I feel?  
**__**Do you feel what I feel? Do you feel what I feel?**_

The track stopped and there was a moment of silence before there was a lot of cheering, almost deafening them it was so loud. Blaine pulled Kurt into a hug and whispered in his ear, "I wanna kiss you because I got to know that tonight is real."

Kurt smiled down at Blaine, trying to cover up the chill his words sent down his spine. He looked around the entire hall with Karofsky nowhere to be seen, before craning his neck down to meet Blaine's lips with his own. They stood there kissing for what felt like hours but couldn't have been more than a few seconds, much to both of their disappointment.

Kurt only pulled away because he heard the next song being played and was immediately annoyed:

_**All the single ladies, all the single ladies.  
**__**All the single ladies, all the single ladies.  
**__**All the single ladies, all the single ladies.  
**__**All the single ladies, now put your hands up.**_

He turned his head to look at Finn, eyes narrowing, but not leaving Blaine's hug. Finn walked over to them and shrugged, "I know you can't resist dancing to this."

Kurt yelled angrily, "You set me up! Finn Hudson! You have 3 seconds to run!"

Finn shrugged once more, "Dude, what's the worst thing that could happen? Besides, you know you'll enjoy doing it."

Kurt nodded slowly, rolling his eyes, "Okay, fine. But ask if he can go from the beginning."

Finn rushed through the crowd and over to the balcony, hoisting himself up by the railing and asking the DJ to restart the song. As the track started to replay, he pushed Blaine away, as that seemed to be the only way to get rid of him for a minute, and went to stand in the centre of the space, taking a deep breath in before starting his Single Ladies routine, the one which his father caught him doing with Tina and Britney just under a year ago, swaying his hips fluidly as he did:

_**All the single ladies, all the single ladies.  
**__**All the single ladies, all the single ladies.  
**__**All the single ladies, all the single ladies.  
**__**All the single ladies, now put your hands up.**_

He looked over at Blaine, who stood with his mouth hanging open, ignoring the fact that David and Wes were both shaking him teasingly. Kurt had a clear idea in his mind as to why Finn had really set this up. Finn knew that there would be some sort of reaction from Blaine, and was almost certain that it would be one of shock, whether for the fact that Kurt had a dance routine in the first place or the fact that he was moved his hips as freely as he did. Kurt took his eyes off Blaine, just concentrating on getting this routine right instead of making a bigger fool of himself than he was already doing:

_**Up in the club, we just broke up. I'm doing my own little thing.  
**__**You decided to dip but now you wanna trip, cause another brother noticed me.  
**__**I'm up on him, he up on me, don't pay him any attention.  
**__**Cause I cried my tears, for three good years, ya can't be mad at me.**_

Kurt was too busy concentrating on his routine that he didn't realise who was making his way through the crowd. The McKinley boys all let their faces drop into a frown, yelling, "KURT! Stop! We have a problem!" But Kurt kept on dancing:

_**Cause if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it.  
**__**If you liked it then you should've put a ring on it.  
**__**Don't be mad once you see that he want it.  
**__**If you liked it then you should've put a ring on it.  
**__**Wuh uh oh uh uh oh oh uh oh uh uh oh!**_

"Faggot! I see blending in hasn't worked out for you!"

Kurt jumped backwards, looking up for the first time since he broke eye contact with Blaine. There he stood. David Karofsky. Towering above everyone else in the room, his stomach sticking out more than ever, and his hair cut in such a way that Kurt could briefly pity him, David Karofsky still looked like the menacing bully who had made Kurt's life a misery for the past two years. Karofsky yelled, "Are you just looking to get beaten up? Oh, of course you are. I bet you fags love being rough in bed. Bet you get turned on by getting hurt. That's the thing with you homos. You always have the weirdest kinks."

PUNCH! Karofsky fell to the floor, clutching his cheek in his hands as blood began to drip out of his split lip. Kurt's eyes widened, unable to tell who did it at first as he had seen several of his friends lunge forward. He didn't care if he had several people acting like a shield at this point; he wanted to punch Karofsky himself but knew that he didn't have any real strength to make it have an effect on Karofsky's rock hard jaw. Puck yelled, "Mess with my boy Hummel one more time ever and I'm sure I'll do a repeat of that special Puckerman delivery and throw in a package for your mini Karofsky as well." Karofsky grunted slightly before being interrupted by Puck continuing, "How about you scram, Karofsky? Oh, and if you rat me out, be sure to remember what I did, because I could do a lot worse. And when they ask why I did it, don't hesitate to repeat your words. Now beat it!"

Karofsky scrambled to his feet clumsily, giving Puck a look which could have killed and then darted his eyes towards Kurt, who shiver in fear at the eye contact. Karofsky then ran out the room, with no form of interaction with anyone else. The party was silent for a few more seconds before music started playing again, luckily for Kurt it was no longer Single Ladies, and people began chatting amongst themselves, pretending as if nothing had just happened. Finn muttered into Kurt's ear, "Dude, I'm so sorry."

Kurt shook his head, "Don't be. I was having so much fun until Karofsky came in."

Kurt's knees collapsed, unable to support his weight any longer. He just needed a minute to take a deep breath and to understand what just happened.

Before Dalton, Puckerman would have never stood up for him like that. It was almost as if they actually had a decent friendship and were not under a silent agreement to get along because they were in the same club. But it wasn't just Puck either. It was nearly the entire group, apart from Artie who tried to ram his wheelchair into Karofsky's legs instead. He could understand Finn's reaction, but with the others, he felt like maybe they were truly friends, and not just sticking together because of all coming from McKinley together.

Kurt looked around to see who had caught him, surprised that Blaine had managed to catch him when he was standing opposite Kurt a few seconds ago. He whispered into Kurt's ear, "I've got you, babe."

Kurt smirked a little as Blaine lowered him to the floor and then knelt in front of him, "Babe again?"

Blaine took Kurt's hand in his, "I don't know. It just feels right. I can stop if you want."

Kurt shook his head, "No. No, don't. I like it. Is that weird?"

Blaine chuckled slightly, almost being knocked over by a couple of people jumping up and down to the music, "I don't know. Depends on everything."

Kurt smiled, changing the subject, "Doubt we'll see Karofsky again tonight."

Blaine threw a hug around Kurt, overjoyed by the thought, "Does that mean we get to dance together and I can kiss you whenever I want to?" Kurt nodded as Blaine continued, "Would it be weird to call this a date?"

Kurt leant back to look Blaine in the eyes, whilst still staying in the hug. Kurt looked for any signs of Blaine joking. Kurt's eyes widened slightly when he realised that Blaine was far from joking around. He bit his lip and looked down at the floor, "Blaine. I- Yes. Yes it would be because that would mean we're dating. And we're not dating, are we?"

Blaine smiled, trying to hide his anxiety, "I've been thinking about-"

"Anderson! We need to show these McKinley guys what we're made of when it comes to impromptu performances."

Blaine's eyes flickered over to David who was waving his hand for Blaine to go over and join the Warblers. Blaine sighed and pulled himself to his feet before extending a hand for Kurt to take. As he pulled Kurt up, he said coyly, "This conversation isn't over, okay?"

Kurt nodded, and replied shyly, "Okay."

Blaine let go of the other boy's hand, gave him a reserved wink and then walked off, leaving Kurt standing in the middle of the hall. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Puck standing there, looking concerned, "Are you okay, Hummel? I'm sure Karofsky won't bug you anymore." Kurt nodded before Puck asked, "So, what was Blaine talking about which made you go all shy?"

Kurt didn't know what to say. He thought Blaine might have been about to ask if he could call him his boyfriend. Kurt responded bashfully, "He- he wanted to know if it would be weird to call tonight a date. And then he was saying he'd been thinking about... something. I don't know what. But I think- I think he was about to make everything official."

Puck's eyes lit up, "Congrats, Hummel. About time you had someone in your life who makes you happy."

Next thing Kurt knew, he caught himself smiling at Puck's words and then asking, "Puck, are we friends?"

Puck placed his hand on Kurt's shoulder again, "Well, yeah. I'd say we are."

Kurt's smile grew, "Well, if we're friends, can I ask you a favour?"

"Anything, Hummel."

* * *

Blaine and the Warblers stood on the steps leading up to the staff balcony in perfect formation, waiting for whatever song was playing to finish and for their track to start. Jeff stood with the DJ at the DJ table, preparing to take over just whilst the DJ took a quick 5-minute break. 5 minutes to perform; 5 minutes to out-perform the New Directions boys; 5 minutes to impress the Dalton student population once more.

Blaine watched as the DJ shuffled his way down the stairs of the other side of the room, past some of his fellow Warblers, through the crowd and then out the grand oak doors.

Thad looked up from his step at Blaine, "I really don't feel comfortable performing out of our uniforms."

Blaine chuckled in response, "Suck it up. It's not like we were going to leave the party to get our blazers on. It's far too awesome in here."

Thad began to protest, "But, Blaine, it's Warbler traditio-"

He was cut off by the introduction to the song they had planned. Blaine looked straight ahead out into the party, everybody dancing and generally having a good time. He caught sight of Kurt, who was chatting animatedly with Puck, Finn and Sam, who were replying enthusiastically to whatever Kurt had been saying to them. He couldn't take his eyes off of Kurt as he began to sing:

_**On the upside of a downward spiral, my love for you went viral,  
**__**And I loved you every mile you drove away, but now here you are again.  
**__**So let's skip the "how you been", and get down to the "more than friends" at last.  
**__**Oh but that one night is still the highlight, I didn't need you until I came to,  
**__**And I was overwhelmed and frankly scared as hell, because I really fell for you.**_

All the other Warblers began to walk down the stairs and stand at the sides of the room, whilst Blaine ran up the stairs to join Jeff at the DJ table, putting his arm around Jeff's shoulder as he did. All the Warblers chorused together, each of the grinning widely:

_**Oh I swear to you, I'll be there for you,  
**__**This is not a drive by.  
**__**Just a shy guy looking for a two-ply, hefty bag to hold my love.  
**__**When you move me everything is groovy.  
**__**They don't like it sue me, either way you do me.  
**__**Oh I swear to you, I'll be there for you,  
**__**This is not a drive by.**_

Finally, Kurt looked up at Blane, their eyes locking with each other's from across the room. Kurt was smiling widely, unable to hide his happiness from the conversation he was jut having. Or maybe it was the fact that he felt the same way as Blaine felt every time he looked at Kurt, as if the world was at peace. Blaine didn't drop eye contact as he sung alone, the music dropping in volume a little to emphasise his voice:

_**Please believe that when I leave,  
**__**There's nothing up my sleeve but love for you,  
**__**And a little time to get my head together too.  
**__**On the other side of a street I knew, stood a boy that looked like you,  
**__**I guess that's déjà vu, but I thought this can't be true cause,**_

Blaine broke the eye contact, unable to take how fast his heart was racing from watching Kurt smiling at him. His smile was perfect and brighter than the Sun, permanently causing Blaine to melt inside.

The Warblers all joined in once more, all taking a moment to glance at Blaine who nodded in approval:

_**Oh I swear to you, I'll be there for you,  
**__**This is not a drive by.  
**__**Just a shy guy looking for a two-ply, hefty bag to hold my love.  
**__**When you move me everything is groovy.  
**__**They don't like it sue me, either way you do me.  
**__**Oh I swear to you, I'll be there for you,  
**__**This is not a drive by.**_

Blaine hugged into Jeff, unable to contain how proud he was of the Warblers being able to move on since the seniors graduated. There was nothing like bursting out into song with his friends and knowing that they put enough confidence in Blaine to lead the way now.

Blaine only just registered the applause when he pulled away from the hug and patted the taller, blonde boy on the shoulder. He scanned the room to find Kurt once more, who was jumping up and down applauding, a flash of proudness sweeping across his face. Blaine gave Kurt a small smile across the room, unsure of whether to go over and see him or not after the awkward way he left their conversation. So instead, he walked down the stairs and over to David, Wes and Thad, who were congratulating him. But instead of saying thank you, Blaine spluttered out, "Guys, I screwed up."

Thad replied, "No you didn't, Anderson. That was incredible."

Blaine shook his head, "No, not the performance. With Kurt."

Wes patted Blaine's shoulder, "What happened?"

Blaine's eyes flashed with hurt, "I asked if it would be weird to count this - tonight - as a date. Because I mean, it's difficult to come up with date ideas when we spend our week here and then he goes home over the weekends when the day trip buses to Columbus are, and... I wasn't thinking straight when I asked him."

David replied sympathetically, "Don't worry. He'll come around. He's your boyfriend after all." Blaine looked down and shuffled his feet awkwardly, much like he had done when Thad had figured out Blaine wanted to make it officially. David continued, "You didn't make it official, did you?"

Blaine looked up and narrowed his eyes at David, "If you had given me thirty seconds more before you called me over, it might have been. Maybe. But I'm not sure he wants it."

Wes chuckled lightly, "I saw you two walk in, you know. Not everyone was here yet but I saw you. He was surprised at how awesome this party is, and then you were hugging. I saw the look in his eyes as you pulled him into that hug, and he definitely wants this, possibly even more than you want it."

Blaine smiled halfheartedly, "You think?" Wes nodded and then smiled wider as he looked over Blaine's shoulder, "Maybe you should talk to him."

Blaine turned to see Kurt squeezing past other students who were dancing, jumping around and chatting amongst each other. Blaine turned back and murmured, "Wish me luck."

The other three boys all walked off into the crowd, ready to rave in the last 30 minutes of the party. Blaine shuffled around nervously, fumbling with his hands as he thought about how he was going to phrase his desire to Kurt.

* * *

The Warblers had finished singing, and Kurt had to admit that despite the McKinley boys' tenacity, the Warblers had an edge they never had. Kurt was almost certain that it was their perfect synchronisation of movements whilst back in the New Directions, it was all mainly freestyle when they burst into song in the choir room.

Finn was grinning widely at Kurt as he applauded the Warblers, knowing that Kurt's claps were primarily for Blaine. He yelled over the noise, "Kurt, how about you go and start dancing with him. We'll go talk to Jeff about the plan."

Kurt could only nod, before he ran off, unable to contain his excitement. He was going to get to dance with Blaine properly at the first party he'd been to since back in the 5th grade, where the bouncy castle deflated right on top of him. He didn't have many good experiences with parties, but he was going to make sure that this party was different.

Over the heads of the partying students, Kurt could see Blaine talking to Wes, Thad and David, his expression unreadable as Kurt could only see the back of his head, but he persevered, desperate to be in Blaine's arms without any anxiety over who was watching. He saw Blaine turn around and then turn back before the other three left and he was all alone. That was until Kurt wrapped his arms around him from behind and rested his chin on the shorter boy's shoulder, "Hey you. Have I ever told you how beautiful your voice is?"

Blaine spun around in Kurt's arms and put his own arms around Kurt's waist, Kurt moving his arms around Blaine's neck instead. Blaine smiled up at Kurt, "Has someone spiked your soda or something?"

Kurt shook his head, "No, I just think that you have the voice of an angel." Blaine blushed a little before Kurt continued, "I mean, heaven's gotta be searching for you. Seriously."

Blaine grinned widely, "I don't see it. Just like you don't see how amazing you are."

Kurt shook his head, "No one else would agree with you."

Blaine protested, "I don't get why though. You're the most attractive person I know. It's no contest between you and the rest of the world."

Kurt couldn't find any words to say, so instead he leant down and kissed Blaine, unable to take in the fact that Blaine was moaning a little into the kiss, which sent a chill down Kurt's spine. Kurt pulled away and sighed, but before he could say anything, Puck was tapping on one of the microphones by the DJ table, "Hello, Dalton? You hear me?"

Everyone let out a slight cheer as they turned to look at Puck, Finn and Sam all standing on the balcony with Jeff preparing the music, watching the doors closely hoping that he'd be able to rejoin the party down below soon.

Puck continued, "Just want to start off by saying thank you to everyone for being so nice to all us newbies, not just the McKinley guys, but to everyone. And also, this party is rocking. Can't wait for the next one." There were a few cheers, but Puck kept on talking, "We would like to dedicate this song to my boy Hummel and his roommate, Blaine Anderson. This one's for you guys."

Blaine raised an eyebrow at Kurt as the introduction started to the song. Kurt began to gently sway to the music, trying to get into the right mood to have the conversation that so clearly needed to happen. Blaine asked, "Was this your idea?"

Kurt responded happily, "It was my idea for them to sing this, but the dedication had nothing to do with me."

Blaine joined in swaying to the music and Kurt rested his head on Blaine's shoulder, as Puck began to sing the song, with Finn and Sam joining in shortly afterwards:

_**We get it on most every night, when that moon is big and bright.  
**__**It's a supernatural delight, everybody's dancing in the moonlight.  
**__**We get everybody here is out of sight. They don't bark and they don't bite.  
**__**They keep things loose, they keep it tight, everybody's dancing in the moonlight.**_

"Kurt, you know how I said I'd been thinking but never finished what I was saying."

"Mmhmm."

"Well, do you want to know what I've been thinking about?"

Kurt shifted his head so he could into Blaine's honey tinted eyes, the colour blending with a hazel starburst surrounding his iris. He took a deep breath in, "Yeah, but first I have something to ask."

Blaine smirked slightly, "I said I have something to say first so let me say mine first."

Kurt shook his head, "Say it together and see what happens?"

_**Dancing in the moonlight.  
**__**Everybody's feeling warm and bright.  
**__**It's such a fine and natural sight.  
**__**Everybody's dancing in the moonlight.**_

Blaine took a second to think it over before nodding in agreement, "Okay, you count down and we'll say what we have to say."

Kurt took in another deep breath, nervous that he had made everything up in his head and he was on his own in having some form of any real emotional connections with the boy in his arms. He sighed heavily, "Okay... 3, 2, 1."

"Will you be my boyfriend, Kurt?"

"I want to start calling you my boyfriend, Blaine."

"Oh."

Kurt's eyes widened for a second before replying to Blaine's question, "Yes. A million times yes."

_**We like our fun and we never fight, you can't dance and stay uptight.  
**__**It's a supernatural delight, everybody was dancing in the moonlight.**_

Blaine just blinked a few times, confused by what just happened, "Wait. You wanted to take this step too? You've been wanting to take this- how long for?"

Kurt shrugged, "Since we began texting pick up lines to each other."

Blaine slowly rubbed his nose against Kurt's thoughtlessly, the warmth of Kurt's breath ghosting past his lips, "That's weird because that was about the same time I thought about this."

_**Dancing in the moonlight.  
**__**Everybody's feeling warm and bright.  
**__**It's such a fine and natural sight.  
**__**Everybody's dancing in the moonlight.**_

Kurt smiled widely, "So this is really happening? We're official?"

Blaine pressed a brief kiss to Kurt's lips, "Wouldn't trade this moment for the world."

Kurt squealed happily, unable to contain his excitement. Kurt Hummel, of all people, the boy who had been bullied because of his sexuality at his previous schools, had a boyfriend.

_**Dancing in the moonlight.  
**__**Everybody's feeling warm and bright.  
**__**It's such a fine and natural sight.  
**__**Everybody's dancing in the moonlight.**_

Blaine began to nuzzle in Kurt's neck, but he looked up when he heard Kurt was saying something but was unsure what he had said. He asked, "What was that, babe? I didn't hear you."

Kurt repeated what he said before, "As much as I love it when you do that, I also really like looking into your eyes." Blaine bit his lip, clearly conflicted with what to do. Kurt simpered as he continued, "Plus, if we're like this then I can..."

He leant in closer, their lips only a millimetre away. Blaine wanted to grin but he also wanted to kiss him. He whispered against Kurt's lips, "Oh yes we can."

Blaine closed the small gap between their lips, kissing Kurt as if nothing else mattered to him, the kiss deepening as time went on.

_**Dancing in the moonlight.  
**__**Everybody's feeling warm and bright.  
**__**It's such a fine and natural sight.  
**__**Everybody's dancing in the moonlight.  
**__**Dancing in the moonlight.**_

Kurt pulled away, resting his forehead against Blaine's, breathing heavily, "I'm so glad we found each other."

Blaine huffed, "Me too. Promise me we won't lose each other?"

Kurt smiled, "I promise."

There was a part of Kurt, however, which knew that the future's unknown, and so although he did promise, it might not have been a promise he could keep under some circumstances. But for, he was Blaine's, Blaine was his, and that was all that truly mattered to him. And at no point was he planning on letting go.

* * *

_Dear Journal,_

_That party was insane. They went for a fluorescent/glowing sort of thing and it was just insane. Did I mention it was insane? Because it was most definitely insane. Okay, insane is starting to look weird so I'm going to stop writing it._

_The atmosphere was incredible. Everyone was having an amazing time. It was brilliant on so many levels. Trust me, it was the best party ever._

_The Warblers performed this evening. Always wanted to sing Drive By, and finally got to. Was such a rush. The McKinley transfers sang too, and Kurt was singing to me. Yeah, to me. And he was dancing with me and everything was perfect when Finn, Sam and Puck were singing. It was perfection. Everything's perfect!_

_So I'm gonna keep this brief. Kurt's my boyfriend now. IT'S OFFICIAL! I want to scream it to the world that he's mine, but for now, we need to keep it on the down low. It's not I'm ashamed. It's more the fact that this Karofsky could end up hurting Kurt, and I don't want to be the reason he gets hurt. But regardless of that asshole, Kurt and I... It feels so right. It really does. There was this instant connection and I'm just... So happy whenever he's around. He's just amazing._

_Everything's the way it's supposed to be. Everything's perfect!_

_- Blaine_

* * *

_Dear Journal,_

_First party since the 5th grade, first group performance at Dalton, first slow dance, first boyfriend._

_First boyfriend._

_Blaine Devon Anderson._

_My first boyfriend._

_I'm done._

_I have nothing to say._

_How the most gorgeous guy I've ever known is my boyfriend, I'll never understand._

_Blaine's my first boyfriend._

_We're boyfriends._

_- Kurt_

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. PLEASE REVIEW :D - foreveragleek44


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Firstly, I would like to take the time to thank everyone for the lovely reviews I have been getting for The Future's Unknown. I'm glad to hear you are all enjoying it and have also been trying to take any thoughts and suggestions into account. I hope you continue to enjoy reading it. Okay, songs (add these to youtube . com URL) First one (sung by Kurt) is Dream Catch Me by Newton Faulkner (imagining it an octave higher will help as well) - /watch?v=rE-Why8N2I0. Second song (sung by Sebastian - yes, he's turning up in this chapter) is Tonight (I'm Loving You) by Enrique Iglesias (skip to 1:20 - I also mixed the lyrics up a little for context purposes) - /watch?v=yVePB3Qepzo. ENJOY THE CHAPTER! PLEASE REVIEW!

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_I haven't heard much from you recently. I know you're really busy and that the development for a cancer cure is a huge project, but I feel like I'm disconnecting you from my life. So I thought I would send you an email to touch base, let you know how things are back here in Ohio._

_Not sure if Coop has been in touch, but he went to the ER again after filming for a Harley-Davidson motorbike advert (his career is really taking off now - I'm really proud of him). Anyway, his injuries are nothing serious; he just has a scrape on his leg apparently but I haven't seen him since the incident to know the extent of it._

_Right, what's been going on with me? Well, I'm back at Dalton. Thank you for continuing to pay my tuition fees to be here, and I can assure you I won't let you down. I will keep that grade point average at least as high as 4.0 but I will try to get it to the maximum of 5.0, which I can do considering I'm taking some AP classes this year. I love it here. I really do. I can't thank you enough._

_What else? Ah, yes. Don't get mad, okay? This was beyond my control. I'm no longer roommates with Jeff (the blonde guy you met when you came home for a week at the beginning of summer vacation). I know you guys think he's a good influence on me, and yes he probably is, but the school had to switch everything around because of another school closing down and a bunch of their "misfit" students were all transferring together, so the school wanted it to be easier for them. (I don't see how they were even considered misfits by their previous school; they're all really friendly and lovely guys who have a lot of interesting things to say and discuss)_

_My new roommate is Kurt. He's one of the transfers. The unlucky odd one out. I mean, he must be if he's been assigned a room with me. He's great. In fact, he's more than great._

_Okay, this is the awkward bit. I have a boyfriend now. Coop said he was okay with it and I told him you would be too, but I doubt you actually will be. I know you just pretend that your son being gay is okay. I know. I'm sorry. It's not my choice. Being gay just happens. Please tell me you can accept that._

_I was hoping I might get to see you at Christmas maybe. Even if it's just for a weekend. Maybe you could meet him, if he's allowed to travel that far. He lives in Lima, so I don't know if he'll be allowed to make the 2-hour journey, but I really hope you can meet him._

_Anyway, I need to get ready. Classes start today so I need to be prepared._

_I love you, Mum and Dad._

_Missing you,_

_Blaine_

* * *

Blaine was in the middle of his morning hair gel routine, his eyebrows furrowing as half his head of curls refused to flatten. He was afraid. This happened a lot during the summer. He was just happy that no one saw him this way. But to walk down the halls of Dalton with curly hair would be a whole different ball game, and he wasn't sure he could handle the stares he would get as a result. It was one of his insecurities. He knew people would laugh, and he wanted to avoid that.

He vigorously tipped the hair gel bottle upside down and squeezed on it violently until some of the hair gel came out, a hint of vanilla and raspberry wafting through the still air of the room. He didn't hesitate to slap it onto the curls still clearly poking out of his head, sighing as he began to flatten them with more force than before. Finally it worked. He smiled at himself smugly, thinking out loud, "Anderson 1 - 0 Curly Hair."

As he flipped the lid closed on his hair gel bottle, his phone vibrated on his bedside table. He reached over and read the caller ID in his head, "Mum/Dad (Japan home)"

He pressed the green button and swiftly moved the phone to his ear, "Hello?"

"Blaine, it's your father."

Blaine gulped, "You got my email, huh?"

His dad exhaled, a hint of anger escaping as he did, "Yes. I'm happy that you're still enjoying school and are planning not to stray from your high GPA. But-"

Blaine interrupted, "There's always a but."

Blaine's father continued as if he hadn't heard Blaine's snide remark, "This boy. In fact, boys in general. I don't want you seeing any boys."

Blaine scoffed, "It's not a conscious choice. It's in the subconscious, Dad. You're a doctor, you should understand that. Surely you have a basic understanding of how the human brain works."

Blaine's dad hesitated before he got back on point, "You can't like boys. At what point do you think that it is normal human behaviour to be gay?"

Blaine replied, annoyed but trying desperately not to show it, "Well, think about it. Homosexuality is found in about 1500 known species, whilst homophobia only exists in humans."

His father's pronunciation became sharper as his anger escalated, "That's unimportant. What's important is I don't want you fooling around with guys. When you get back to Cincinnati for fall break, go out with your brother and meet some girls."

Blaine couldn't listen to his father's insanity any longer and so angrily prodded at the red 'end call' button before throwing his phone onto the bed and then flopping down onto the bed himself, his phone caught under one of his thighs. He wasn't in the mood to care about something so trivial when he had more pressing issues to deal with.

His dad didn't approve of him dating Kurt, but Blaine knew he wouldn't stop no matter what his dad said. His dad was over half way around the world, 14 hours ahead in time than in Westerville, Ohio. Even a plane journey home to convince Blaine to stop seeing Kurt wouldn't have made a difference to Blaine. He wanted this to last. There was no denying that Blaine was happy knowing that he was with Kurt. He didn't want to let go of the happiness that radiated through his body. He wouldn't let go of it for anything or anyone.

Blaine wanted to ruffle his hair, but upon touching the sleek, gelled hair, he remembered the struggle it took to get it the way it was. So instead, he grabbed his pillow and threw it anywhere, desperate to get some of his anger out.

The pillow hit the wall above Kurt's bed, startling him awake and making Blaine feel instantly guilty. Kurt murmured incoherent words in his daze of confusion as Blaine jumped off his own bed and sat at the end of Kurt's, taking his hand lightly as Kurt found his bearings.

Blaine didn't want to think about how beautiful Kurt looked right in that moment. His pale skin was almost radiating its own light; his hair was sticking out in every direction possible, probably much to Kurt's dismay; his grey t-shirt was slid down one shoulder, revealing a toned muscular shoulder that Kurt permanently hid under his clothes; his oceanic eyes fluttering open and closed as he fought between being asleep and being awake; his smooth pink lips, lazily hanging open in his dazed state. Blaine shouldn't have been enjoying the sight right in front of him, and yet Kurt was beautiful.

Blaine simpered at his boyfriend, "Sorry, babe. Didn't mean to wake you."

Kurt yawned before replying, "It's fine." He paused briefly before smiling himself, "Morning, honey." Blaine's breath hitched at Kurt's term of endearment, causing Kurt to giggle, "Sleep well?"

Blaine nodded, "Uh, yeah. I did. Very well. After yesterday evening, who wouldn't?"

Kurt buried his face into his duvet, "It was a fabulous party though."

Blaine yawned a little as he replied, "Sure was. And I can finally call you mine."

Kurt snapped his head up, grinning widely as his heart threatened to climb up his throat and jump out of him. He still couldn't believe it had happened, and he guessed he wouldn't until he told his friends, because he felt that it wouldn't be real until someone else knew.

Kurt noticed the lingering silence as Blaine expected a reply, removing his hand from Blaine's and placed it around the back of Blaine's neck as he leant forward slightly to meet Blaine. He placed a slow, soft kiss to Blaine's lips before whispering against them, "Mine."

Blaine pressed another kiss to his boyfriend's lips exactly like they had just done and smiled as he pulled their lips away, "Definitely."

Kurt glanced over at the pillow that was slumped against the wall underneath where it had hit, the reason why Kurt was awake right now. He asked slowly, in case Blaine didn't want to answer any questions, "Why were you throwing pillows anyway?"

Blaine looked down at his knees for a second, trying to compose himself before speaking, "I told my parents about you." He looked up to see Kurt's eyes widening in astonishment. He continued, "I emailed them, and then my dad called and he wasn't happy because it isn't normal human behaviour or something ridiculous. I can't help who I find attractive, and well, I find you very attractive." His tone became more suggestive as he crawled onto the bed, supporting himself with his arms over Kurt who as now lying down underneath him, "In fact, you're the most attractive person I have ever met. And I will not hesitate to give you a blizzard of kisses this evening after Warbler auditions."

Kurt smiled widely, "Oh really now? Will you? You'll have to catch me first."

Blaine raised an eyebrow, "I thought this kind of teasing would be above you."

"Well, it's difficult for it to be when you're above me." Kurt replied, winking cheekily.

Blaine pressed a kiss to Kurt's forehead, "I might have to make this a habit then."

Kurt laughed loudly, propping himself up on his elbows slightly so his eyes were level with Blaine's. He was still smiling when he questioned, "So what are you going to do?"

Blaine raised an eyebrow, "About what?"

"Your parents. What are you going to do?"

Blaine sighed half-heartedly, "I'm sure my mum is actually okay with me being gay. She seemed genuinely happy when I had my first encounter in middle school. But my dad... I don't know, Kurt. It's like I can never get his approval for anything, whether it's grades, my behaviour, my views on things, or in this case, my sexuality. I can never impress that man, and I'm at the point where I am beyond caring. I want to be with you; to be like this every day possible until the very end, whenever that might be. My dad won't change my mind on that. I will be with you as long as you want me to be. I won't back down. Not this time."

Kurt craned his neck so that his lips met Blaine's again, this time the kiss was filled with passion and longing, unable to hold back from their true emotions. Yes, all their other kisses proved that they cared for one another, and that still remained, but this kiss showed a sense of desire and wanting to be together. As he pulled away, Kurt smiled happily, "Am I really worth going against your dad though?"

Blaine grinned, "Of course, because I would miss being like we are right now far too much. I mean, I missed being this close to you before I woke you up. Sorry about that by the way."

Kurt shrugged, the shoulder of his t-shirt settling back into place on his shoulder, no longer showing the muscles formed there, "This is much better than sleep. Although my dreams this past week haven't been much different from this right now."

Before Blaine could ask questions, someone rapped their knuckles against the door. Blaine sighed before yelling, "Who is it?"

The person behind the door replied sleepily, "It's Finn. Have you seen Kurt?"

Kurt shouted back, "Give me a second, Finn. I'll come out and talk to you in the hallway."

Blaine looked back down at Kurt and sighed in defeat, "Suppose I better let you go."

Kurt pulled Blaine down so that their chests were touching, their faces less than an inch apart. He smiled as his lifted his head from the pillow, his deep blue eyes briefly meeting with Blaine's glistening honey ones, before they both fluttered them shut and pressed their lips together softly before there was another knock on the door. Blaine pulled away with a groan, "Go. We'll continue this later. Just get rid of him and then we'll go for an early breakfast."

Kurt nodded as Blaine rolled off of him and stood up. Kurt followed his movements before he, too, was out of bed. He advanced across the room, but lingered by the door, turning to say to Blaine before he left, "Thank you."

Blaine chuckled slightly, "For what?"

Kurt smiled, "For everything. For letting me be yours."

Blaine ran up and hugged the other boy, his face glowing with happiness. He whispered into Kurt's shoulder, "Thank you for being you."

Before Kurt could respond, there was a louder knock on the door accompanied with a whine, "Kurt! Come on!"

Blaine released him from the hug, and he turned and opened the door, turning briefly to wink at Blaine before leaving the room with a quiet click of the door shutting.

Now that Blaine was all alone, he had some time to think about what his dad had said. The thoughts and words whirling around in his head made Blaine want to scream, but he knew in doing so, Kurt would run back in, abandoning a grumpy Finn, and Blaine wasn't sure about the extent of Finn's morning grumpiness. So instead, Blaine fell onto his bed, face in his pillows and just lay there, devoid of showing any kind of emotion for now, hoping that it would just go away, because he couldn't stand to impress his dad anymore. He'd been doing it for too long. It was making him mentally tired every time his father went on a disapproving rant about whatever Blaine had supposedly done wrong this time.

With Kurt, though, he had managed to forget any negative emotions just by being close to him, and it was enough. It was enough for him to be sure that his decision to defy his father was a good idea, because he could tell it would be worth it. It was already clear that it was.

* * *

Kurt closed the door quietly, careful not to wake anyone in the surrounding rooms. He turned to Finn, keeping his voice down but keeping a steady, irritated tone, "What, Finn?"

Finn stretched and yawned, realising that this conversation wasn't going to be as simple as he thought, "Bad time?" Kurt just nodded, his eyes narrowing at how slow Finn was being this morning, but at the same time a little thankful that Finn wasn't grumpy this morning. Finn put his arms down by his side and smiled, "We didn't get to see you after the song, dude."

Kurt couldn't help but smile slightly, remembering how Blaine and him left the party early to be alone, sitting on Blaine's bed in each other's arms. Kurt's heart was fluttering at the memory, but he focused on replying to Finn, "Yeah, Blaine and I left early."

Finn's eyes widened, "What? Together?"

Kurt couldn't help but let out a laugh, "It wasn't like that."

"Well then, what was it?"

Kurt suddenly went quiet, shuffling his feet awkwardly against the black marble floor. He wasn't sure whether he was ready to make it real, for news to spread. He was really happy with the way things had gone so far this morning, where everything felt like a dream but was at the same time was so real. He took a deep breath, and locked his eyes with Finn, "He asked me to be his boyfriend. I asked him to be mine. We wanted the rest of the evening alone. It's not like we missed much anyway. There was only about 20 minutes left."

Finn pulled Kurt into a hug, Kurt raising both his eyebrows as he did. Finn smiled widely, "I'm happy for you, dude." He paused before furrowing his brow, "Shouldn't you be in there with him?"

Kurt wriggled out of the hug and replied, his voice ringing with annoyance, "You don't say. I would love to be in there, but I'm out here talking to you."

Finn took a step back, afraid that Kurt was going to hit him, "I'll leave you to it." He turned and walked towards his door, his hand on the handle before he briefly looked up at Kurt, "Just don't do anything you don't want to, okay? It's your decision how far you go with this, no matter how much he pressures you. You got that?"

Kurt nodded, his hand on his room's door handle, "I know, Finn. I know."

He turned the door handle and walked back into his room, smiling at Blaine as he looked up from his copy of Vogue. He kicked the door closed and took a deep breath out, before making complete eye contact with his boyfriend, "I told Finn about us."

Blaine closed the magazine and smiled, "What did he say?"

Kurt advanced across the room and gracefully sat at the end of Blaine's bed, "He said he was happy for us." He omitted to tell Blaine about Finn's brotherly advice, not wanting to make Blaine feel as if he had been pressured into this or whatever other paranoid thought he could come up with.

Blaine reached across and took Kurt's hand, smiling, "This is just the beginning for us."

Blaine didn't understand the extent his words would have, but what he did know is that he was most certainly right. The end wasn't currently in sight.

* * *

Blaine sat in Algebra with Puck, chewing on his pencil as he attempted to solve simultaneous equations, something which he had done time and time again, but summer had made him out of practise. He knew that Puck was going to ask questions soon enough; he wasn't sure when though, so he was preparing for the bombardment of questions that would be coming his way before the period ended.

Another question into the textbook assignment they had been set, and Puck tore out a separate sheet of paper from his algebra notebook and began to write a message. Blaine continued to dart his eyes between his textbook and his notebook, pretending as if he hasn't noticed Puck writing a message to him. It wasn't long before Puck lifted Blaine's notebook and slid it underneath subtly.

Blaine didn't hesitate to slide it into his lap and read the message:

_Word in the hallway is that my boy Hummel is your boyfriend now_

Blaine scrawled underneath Puck's message, passing it back to him:

_If you don't believe what the hallway says, check Kurt's neck later. Then you'll believe it_

Puck raised an eyebrow and wrote a response, a constant stream of back and forth messages going between the two boys:

_You've marked him already?_

_He told me that he wanted to show everyone he was mine, so I sucked on his neck a bit after breakfast but before we left the boarding house for classes _

_Anderson, I don't need the details_

_I thought I said call me Blaine, Noah_

_Point taken. I'm glad that Hummel is finally truly happy because someone is making him feel like that. I'm just a little concerned about if Karofsky finds out_

_I hadn't even thought about that. It's not like we'll tell him. If it gets around the school to him then so be it. I'm not fussed. I'll stand up for Kurt. I'll do whatever it takes_

The bell rang to signal the end of the period, Blaine and Puck both standing up in synchronisation with the rest of the class. Puck hoisted his bag so that it hung carelessly on his shoulder, "I'll be with you in standing against him, you know? Neither of you deserve to be treated the way you would be by him."

They walked out into the corridor as Blaine patted Puck on the shoulder, "Thanks, that means a lot."

Suddenly, Blaine's phone vibrated in his pocket. He fumbled in his pocket to retrieve it and pressed the power button to bring the screen to life. He read the screen to himself:

_**From: Kurt xxx**_

_Everyone's staring at my neck - K xoxox_

_**To: Kurt xxx**_

_I wonder why, babe ;) - B xoxox_

_**From: Kurt xxx**_

_Bastard ;) - K xoxox_

_**To: Kurt xxx**_

_I miss you - B xoxox_

_**From: Kurt xxx**_

_Weird. I don't miss you - K xoxox_

_**To: Kurt xxx**_

_:( - B xoxox_

_**From: Kurt xxx**_

_Honey, I was kidding. Chin up (not that it has that far to go ;D ) and get your cute little butt to European Geography right now before someone else sits next to me - K xoxox_

_**To: Kurt xxx**_

_I'm on my way. Hate being in another juniors' class. I'm gonna be the only sophomore. Being in a juniors' Algebra class was bad enough - B xoxox_

_**From: Kurt xxx**_

_It'll be fine. Just get to class on time first. Then you can worry about it - K xoxox_

Puck sighed, "Do you two ever stop talking?"

"We just had an hour apart. No texting during classes is one of our rules."

Puck ran his fingers through his mohawk, "I hope you two lovebirds don't mind helping me in European Geography instead of gazing longingly into each other's eyes all class long. Finn won't be much help after all."

Blaine nodded as they entered the classroom, taking in the sea of navy blue blazers with red piping and white shirts that was dotted around the classroom. Blaine immediately advanced across the room towards the second row from the back, where Kurt was sitting, Puck following him and sitting next to Blaine. Finn had clearly followed them in as he also sat down on the other side of Puck. Blaine didn't pay much attention to them though as he placed a light peck on Kurt's lips, "Hey you."

Kurt smiled widely, "Well, if it isn't the guy who is responsible for people staring at me."

Blaine shrugged as he slid his notebook out of his bag, smirking to himself, "Don't know what you mean."

Kurt turned his head and gestured his hand at the purple bruise that had formed as a result of Blaine sucking his pulse point earlier that morning, "This. This right here. If I knew how bad it was, I would have put foundation over it."

Blaine held back his laughter, "You have foundation?"

Kurt shrugged, "Yeah, for acne." He darted his eyes to see Puck and Finn staring at his neck open-mouthed, and so turned his neck away, whilst still facing them so he could talk, "What are you two doing? Catching flies?"

Puck began to chuckle, "No. Blaine told me he marked you, but that's a pretty impressive hickey you have there." He shoved Blaine playfully, "Nice one, bro."

Finn shook his head in shock, "That's my brother. Blaine, you bruised my brother. I didn't need to know what you two get up to. My brother, dude."

Kurt grinned widely as he nuzzled into Blaine's neck, "I wanted him to. Just wasn't expecting it to be that bad."

Blaine kissed the top of his boyfriend's head, "I'm sorry, babe. Didn't mean to do that to you. It was meant to be small but I got carried away."

Kurt sat up straight as the teacher walked in, not wanting to create a bad impression, especially on his first day at Dalton. He whispered to Blaine, "It's fine, Blaine. Maybe I can return the favour later."

Those words sent chills down Blaine's spine as they repeated over and over again in his head. He was almost certain that his brain had short-circuited at the thought. He was always the one to create love bites, but never received them, and even then, he had only ever given 2: one as a dare at his brother's 18th birthday party, and the other just this morning. It would be a completely new experience to be on the receiving end, and strangely it turned him on a little. All Blaine knew in that moment was that concentration was not an option as he began to watch the minutes tick away in hope that the evening would come quickly.

* * *

Kurt walked down the hallway, glad that lessons were over for the day. He couldn't find anyone he knew in the sea of students flowing down the corridor towards any exit they could. Kurt couldn't blame people for wanting to leave quickly. It has been a tough day readjusting to school work. But Kurt saw an upside to today: he hadn't received any homework. He guessed his teachers were just being nice because it was the first day, and he was almost certainly right.

Finally he was out of the main building, the sandstone path reflecting the bright sun into his eyes. It took a second for him to adjust to his new surroundings before beginning the short walk back to the boarding house, his weekday home whilst the semesters progressed.

The walk was boring. He watched as groups of friends passed him as they all rushed back to hang out after a long day of classes. He hated the fact that he was the only student in his social circle to be taking Home Economics. The class was great; he needed it to keep the option of becoming a fashion designer open. The disadvantage was that he would have to walk alone back to the boarding house on Mondays and Wednesdays. He could live with that just about.

"Hey, Kurt, wait up!"

Kurt stopped and spun on his heel to see Sam and Artie approaching him quickly to catch up. Kurt smiled when they finally reached him, "Not feeling so lonely now."

Sam huffed slightly as he regained his breath, "Yeah, that's one of the reasons we asked you to wait."

Artie began to wheel across campus once more, Kurt and Sam following him before taking a handle of his wheelchair each to slow him down. Sam chuckled lightly, "Easy, Artie. You can travel faster than us."

Artie mumbled, "Sorry. I forget."

Sam then turned his head to Kurt, grinning widely, "So, you and Blaine..."

Kurt cut him off, "Don't pretend like you don't know what's going on. He's my boyfriend, yes. He gave me a hickey, yes. He makes my heart beat at a million miles an hour, yes. Do I love him? Yes." He gasped, covering his mouth, before urgently correcting himself, "No. Not love. Strongly like."

Artie laughed, "No going back from that, Kurt. We won't tell a soul though, right Sam?"

Kurt protested, "I wasn't thinking. I didn't mean it."

Sam replied teasingly, "So you subconsciously love him. It won't be long before you consciously do."

Kurt protested again, "No. Nope. You misheard me."

Artie stopped and turned his wheelchair to Kurt, "It's okay. Tell him in your own time."

Kurt walked around Artie and through the doors of the boarding house. He couldn't believe what he had just admitted to Artie and Sam. The part of the situation which made everything worse is that he knew deep down that he was telling the truth. Kurt hadn't believed in love at first sight, but thinking back to when he stood on Blaine's foot, he couldn't think of a time since where he didn't feel like he was going to have a heart attack every time he was around Blaine or heard his name or saw something that reminded him of Blaine. Kurt couldn't even read Vogue without his heart racing as he saw items of clothing that Blaine would wear and knowing that Blaine was reading it in the next bed over didn't help.

* * *

He walked down the corridor and into the music room without even thinking, most of the Warblers already there. He saw Puck, Finn and Joe in the corner, with Mike teaching David and Nick how to do a backflip. Kurt shook his head, knowing that wouldn't end well. He walked over to the other three and dumped his bag on the floor by his feet. Joe asked, "Bad day?"

Kurt grumbled, "It was great until... You know what? If you want to know where it went downhill, ask Sam and Artie."

Puck yelled across the room, "Evans, Abrams. Why is Kurt having such a bad day?"

Kurt face-palmed, knowing that he wouldn't be able to keep this from Blaine the second Puck or Finn knew. He knew Joe would keep his mouth shut. He would be more than willing to tell Joe, because he would offer helpful guidance as well.

Sam and Artie arrived in their corner. Sam smirked, "Well, I believe that Kurt here admitted to loving Blaine without realising what he was saying and is unable to deny it because there is a level of truth in it."

Kurt tried to defend himself, "I love him the way best friends love each other."

Finn raised an eyebrow, "So he's your best friend now?"

Kurt brought his hands to his face and covered it, groaning, "This is all such a mess. I will never speak again. Okay? No more words from my mouth."

Puck patted Kurt on the shoulder, "If you say so. So Hummel, I have a date with a chick in Lima at the weekend. I was thinking leather shorts, knee-high white socks, yellow ballet shoes, bright pink wooly jumper and a purple sequinned beret. But you're the fashion expert here so do you think that's a good idea?" Kurt's head shot up and he narrowed his eyes at Puck, who was now smirking, "Tell me how I can change this outfit for the better."

Kurt replied irritated, "I can't stay quiet when you're suggesting the world's worst outfit to me."

Everyone began to laugh but fell silent when they saw Blaine approaching them. Everyone began to nudge Kurt, who just rolled his eyes and ran up to hug his boyfriend. He took a deep breath in, taking in Blaine's scent of musk, vanilla and berries. His heart was hammering wildly in his chest as he thought to himself the words he had said to Artie and Sam, "Do I love him? Yes."

This couldn't be happening. It went completely against Kurt's beliefs. Love at first sight only happened in movies and TV shows. This was neither of those. This was a brand new, budding high school romance spiralling completely out of control, and no matter what Kurt thought to try and calm down his emotions, his feelings only seemed to fight back stronger. Blaine greeted him, "Hey. How has your afternoon been?"

Kurt adjusted himself in the hug so he could look down at Blaine as he spoke to him, "Tiring. Boring. Not in the least bit exciting. Went downhill since I last saw you, if I'm going to be honest."

Blaine couldn't help but smile, "Really?" Kurt nodded as he continued, "Mine sucked too." He paused before asking, "Ready for your audition?"

Kurt took a deep breath, "As ready as I'm going to be."

Blaine grinned, "Here. Let me calm your nerves."

Blaine tiptoed up and pressed his lips softly against Kurt's, several people wolf whistling around them, but they didn't care in the slightest as they both smiled into the kiss, happy to be in their own little world for a few seconds of their lives.

They only broke apart at the bang of the gavel and Wes saying sternly, "Warbler candidate Hummel and Warbler Anderson. I don't mean to interrupt but I'm trying to start a meeting here."

David butted in, as he sat down next to Wes at the Warbler Council's table, "Yeah, get a room."

Wes elbowed David in the ribs as both Blaine and Kurt gave their apologies before walking over to a low, empty window sill and sat down on it together, seeing as there was nowhere else to sit besides the floor, and that certainly wasn't an option for Kurt. Who knew how dirty the floor was?

Wes began the meeting, "Hello everyone. Welcome to the first official meeting of the academic year." There were a few cheers before a bang of the gavel, the standard protocol at the beginning of every meeting, much to Wes' dismay, "Firstly, I would like to welcome our new members Warblers Finn Hudson, Noah Puckerman, Sam Evans, Artie Abrams, Joe Hart and Mike Chang for their outstanding performance at the party last night."

Wes allowed the cheers and applause to fade in and out naturally instead of abruptly stopping everyone with his gavel knocking against wood. Kurt was confused. He was a part of that performance too. Why wasn't he automatically accepted? He glanced over at Blaine, raising an eyebrow, to have a confused look thrown back at him. Blaine waited for the noise to die down before raising his hand. Thad didn't hesitate to open the floor to him, "Yes, Warbler Anderson."

Blaine questioned from his place on the window sill, "I have a question. Warbler candidate Kurt Hummel was also a part of that performance, so why hasn't he been accepted based on that?"

The Warbler Council shot glances at each other before looking back over at Blaine with blank expressions on their faces. Thad hesitated in responding this time, "Each new Warbler has a certain attribute to bring to the Dalton Academy Warblers." He paused to clear his throat, "Warbler Hudson has a great song-starting voice that will also add a new depth to the harmonies. Warbler Evans has a country-style tone to his singing voice that we have been in need of since Perry Daniels graduated in the class of '11. Warbler Puckerman has a rock-style tone that we have been in need of since Oscar Carter graduated the same year. Warbler Abrams opens us up to having a decent rap solo that could be our unique factor in competition this year. Warbler Hart has a voice that will blend perfectly with literally any other voice in this room depending on how we harmonise. And finally, Warbler Chang has some serious dance moves whereas ours are outdated and need to be modernised, something the Warbler Council are sure he can help us with."

Blaine stood up, a little annoyed, "Tyler and Josh graduated in the class of 2012. We've lost our only two countertenors. Warbler candidate Hummel is a countertenor. You said so yourself."

Wes replied calmly, "We are aware but from what we could tell, Warbler candidate Hummel was not singing in his natural key during that performance, and we believe that he was unable to sing to his full potential as a result."

Blaine protested in yells, "Are you kidding me? Not singing in his natural key? So what?"

Kurt grabbed Blaine's wrist, which was flailing by his side in anger. He stood up and looked Blaine in the eye, "It's okay, Blaine. I'll sing."

Blaine lowered his voice slightly so only Kurt could hear him, giving him a chance to calm down, "Babe, you have to address me as Warbler Blaine Anderson, Warbler Blaine or Warbler Anderson. It's a tradition." Kurt nodded understandingly, knowing that traditions were important, especially in a school like this. Blaine continued in his hushed tone, but with hints of distress peaking through, "And it's not fair. You were there. You sung. You were brilliant. I don't get why they are doing this. They were telling me in Spanish that you were great. If the others are in then why aren't you? It's not fair on you."

Kurt rolled his eyes and turned to the Warbler Council, "While I find the situation somewhat unfair, I will gladly audition. It gives me a reason to perform, and I wouldn't miss that opportunity." He turned to Blaine, "Warbler Anderson, can you go get the music set up for me please?"

Blaine nodded and left the room to retrieve his iPod to connect to the speaker system in the room. Kurt turned to his group of friends in the corner of the room whilst still addressing the Warbler Council, "Warbler Wes Montgomery, Warbler Thad Harwood, Warbler David Thompson. I don't entirely know what your angle is. My friends here did perform better than me last night, yes, but I felt that I had a semi-decent evening. Can you please explain why I am the only one to audition?"

David cleared his throat, "Warbler candidate Hummel, it isn't that we don't have faith in you. We just didn't see what we believe is your full potential and we would like to know exactly what kind of voice you have so that we can be the best we can with the members we have. We just need to be 100% sure that we'll be able to fit you in."

Blaine returned and advanced across the room, shaking his head and mumbling under his breath. He was really worked up about the situation and he had no idea why. He just knew that he was angry. It was as if the Warbler Council were going to reject Kurt unless he performed right now, and he felt it was ridiculous. He was almost certain that the Warbler Council considered their idea a ridiculous notion too but he dared not make anything worse.

Blaine fumbled with the connector and his iPod, slowly slotting it in, before turning and nodding at the Warbler Council. Wes addressed Kurt, "What song will you be singing for us today, Warbler candidate Hummel?"

He took in a deep breath before replying, "Dream Catch Me by Newton Faulkner."

The music began to echo around the room. Kurt closed his eyes, took in another deep breath, exhaled and began to sing, slowly opening his eyes as he did:

_**Every time I close my eyes,  
**__**It's you and I know now,  
**__**Who I am.  
**__**Yeah yeah yeah, and I know now.**_

He looked over at his friends for reassurance. They smiled at him and nodded in approval. Kurt wasn't sure whether they approved the song choice or his performance as a whole but he did know that they were at least enjoying some aspect of what he was doing. He darted his eyes to Blaine, who was sat on the floor by his iPod. He was grinning widely at Kurt, giving him two thumbs up when he realised that Kurt was looking at him. Kurt smiled, and couldn't help but sing the chorus directly to Blaine, Kurt knowing that the chorus was about falling in love, but he knew Blaine didn't know because he hadn't heard of the song before Kurt announced to him that that was the song he wanted to sing for his audition. He beamed at his boyfriend as he sang:

_**There's a place I go, when I'm alone,  
**__**Do anything I want, be anyone I wanna be,  
**__**But it is us I see, and I cannot believe I'm falling.  
**__**That's where I'm going, where are you going?  
**__**Hold it close won't let this go. Dream catch me, yeah.  
**__**Dream catch me when I fall, or else I won't come back at all.**_

Kurt tore his eye contact away from Blaine and began to spin slowly around on the spot so that he could take a good look at everyone else to see if they approved. All he saw was pleased expressions plastered on everyone's faces. He eventually made eye contact with each member of the Warbler Council, all of whom were grinning widely as he continued to sing, his voice ringing with the passion and determination he knew he needed to prove that he was singing to his full potential:

_**See you as a mountain, a fountain of God.  
**__**See you as a descant soul in the setting sun.  
**__**You as the sound, just as silent as none.  
**__**I'm young!**_

Kurt walked over to his friends, signalling for them to make room on the table they were sitting on so that he could sit with them. He put an arm around Finn, smiling widely at his stepbrother who was giving him a proud pat on the shoulder as his crystalline voice rang out in perfect tune:

_**There's a place I go, when I'm alone,  
**__**Do anything I want, be anyone I wanna be,  
**__**But it is us I see, and I cannot believe I'm falling.**_

He jumped off the table, letting his glance linger with them a moment longer, before turning to Blaine and giving him a wink. Blaine pretended to swoon in response, making Kurt want to laugh but he knew he couldn't because he was in the middle of a performance. He tore his gaze away from Blaine and began to walk to the centre of the room, facing the Warbler Council once more:

_**There's a place I go, when I'm alone,  
**__**Do anything I want, be anyone I wanna be,  
**__**But it is us I see, and I cannot believe I'm falling.  
**__**That's where I'm going, where are you going?  
**__**Hold it close won't let this go. Dream catch me, yeah.  
**__**Dream catch me when I fall, or else I won't come back at all.**_

Everyone stood up and applauded; some of the Warblers even cheered and whooped. But Kurt barely noticed any of that as someone flung their arms around him. He looked down to see Blaine had pulled him into a hug, his eyes filled with pride for the boy he was holding. Blaine mouthed, seeing as Kurt wouldn't be able to hear him over the standing ovation Kurt was getting, "You were amazing."

Kurt nuzzled into the top of Blaine's head against the stiffened hair he was sporting. Kurt sighed a little, hoping that one day he would burrow into a full head of soft, curly locks with Blaine not being embarrassed by his hair.

The noise began to die down and the Warbler Council sat back down in their places. Wes banged his gavel for good measure before looking to David on one side and then Thad on the other. He looked straight ahead at Kurt and Blaine, Blaine having let go of Kurt now, much to his dismay. Wes cleared his throat before saying, "Welcome to the Dalton Academy Warblers, Warbler Hummel. We believe you will be perfect in our glee club."

A lot more cheering and applause. Another hug. Another bang of the gavel. Blaine jumped away in shock of the sudden bang. Silence descended in the room for a moment.

Thad broke the silence, "Warbler Anderson, Warbler Hummel, have a seat." Blaine and Kurt returned to the window sill; they both slouched down onto it and gave each other a flash of a smile before turning back to look at the Warbler Council. Thad continued, "We have a second candidate wanting to audition. Warbler candidate Sebastian Smythe."

Blaine's eyes widened. Oh no. Not Sebastian of all people. Kurt leant in to ask, "What's wrong?"

Blaine leant in to whisper in Kurt's ear, "This guy was trying to get with me all of last year, flirting with me and being a smug bastard who believes the world revolves around him. I can't believe there is even someone like that still alive. Seriously, I wish I had a shotgun."

Kurt had to hold back his laughter, almost certain that it wasn't approved of during Warbler meetings. He shot a warning glance at Blaine, causing the younger boy to nod and wink, biting his lip cheekily to suggest that he knew Kurt was desperately trying not to make a sound in the silence.

Blaine's happiness faded almost instantly, as a tall, skinny boy with mildly gelled sandy brown hair walked into the centre of the room, facing away from Kurt and Blaine to address the Warbler Council, having already connected his iPod to the speakers Blaine's was previously connected to a couple of minutes ago. Sebastian announced egotistically, "My name's Sebastian Smythe and I'll be singing Tonight I'm Loving You."

He rushed over to his iPod and pressed play, the music immediately resonating around the room. Blaine rolled his eyes. This was typical Sebastian, being suggestive as always. He knew that Sebastian wouldn't ignore Blaine as he sung.

He shuffled across the window sill, turning to lean against Kurt's chest. Kurt didn't hesitate to put his arms around his boyfriend, happy with the affection he was receiving, even if it was to spite Sebastian.

Sebastian turned around. Kurt immediately saw the proud yet slightly evil smirk he was wearing, his eyes small in comparison to the rest of his features. Kurt wished that a giant zit would suddenly appear on Sebastian's flawless complexion, the only upside to the standing boy. Kurt thought, "Meerkat."

Blaine chuckled quietly as Kurt began to blush. He thought he was saying that in his head, but it must have escaped his lips, as there was no other reason for Blaine to have been responding in that way, unless he thought of something funny at the exact same time.

Kurt's thought pattern was extinguished as a decent male voice sounded around the room. He rolled his eyes and tightened his grip around Blaine. Sebastian began to dance around the room as he sang:

_**You're so damn pretty,  
**__**If I had a type then baby it would be you.  
**__**I know you're ready,  
**__**If I never lied, than baby you'd be the truth.**_

Sebastian locked his eyes with Blaine, who scowled as best he could, but it was difficult when he had Kurt's arms twined around him, a sense of calmness partially washing over him. Sebastian's smirk switched from twitching at the right side of his mouth to his left, his eyes dancing across Blaine's body, as he began to slowly swagger over to the window sill both Blaine and Kurt were sat on.

Kurt narrowed his eyes at Sebastian and pulled Blaine closer into his chest, almost certain that he wouldn't be able to pull him any closer if he tried.

Sebastian's grin widened as he swayed his hips as he sung:

_**Now rock your body,  
**__**Damn I like the way that you move.  
**__**So give it to me, oh ooooh,  
**__**Cause I already know what you wanna do.**_

Sebastian was now leaning down to Blaine's eye level, his face just a couple of inches away. He grinned cheekily, hoping that Blaine would melt at the sight. He didn't. His face shifted into complete anger. As did Kurt's. If their body language was anything to go by, Sebastian should have known they were together. Either he was oblivious or he just didn't care but in any case, the two boys sitting on the window sill were not even attempting to hide their displeasure at what Sebastian was doing as he continued to sing:

_**Here's the situation, been to every nation,  
**__**Nobody's ever made me feel the way that you do.  
**__**You know my motivation, given my reputation,  
**__**Please excuse me I don't mean to be rude,**_

Sebastian tried to get closer, but Blaine extended his arms out and shoved Sebastian away furiously. Sebastian just bit his lip and winked at Blaine, before thrusting his hips slightly towards Blaine and then turning away, walking back towards the Warbler Council, his hips swaying more suggestively than before.

Blaine rolled his eyes and turned into Kurt slightly, hoping that he wasn't at all annoyed by Sebastian's actions. Looking up into Kurt's eyes, he could see flames radiating though them. He was definitely angry. Blaine shook his head and nuzzled into Kurt's chest a little, thinking of ways to calm Kurt down after Warbler practise was over. He smiled to himself as he thought back to what happened this morning in Kurt's sleepy daze; how every kiss felt so possessive whilst still being soft and caring; how every touch had sent shivers up his spine; how Kurt had whispered, 'Mine', which had made Blaine feel like he was worth something after he had been made to feel so worthless just moments before; how Kurt's eyes glinted in the dim light which had been seeping through the underneath of the curtain, reflecting infinite shades of blue, grey and green. Everything had felt beautiful in that moment; a moment he wanted to share over and over again for as long as Kurt would allow him to be together.

Blaine had completely zoned out, not hearing Sebastian singing the chorus to his song:

_**But tonight I'm loving you, oh you know,  
**__**That tonight I'm loving you, oh you know,  
**__**That tonight I'm loving you, oh you know,  
**__**That tonight I'm loving you, oh you know.**_

There was a little applause but nowhere near as much as earlier in the meeting; nowhere near as much as Kurt had gotten.

There was silence as the Warbler Council deliberated over Sebastian's audition and whether or not he would have a place within the group.

Blaine took the time to talk to Kurt, comforting him to put his mind at ease. He sat up a little so he could reach Kurt's ear, the air as he whispered dancing on the shell of his ear, sending a noticeable chill down Kurt's spine, "Babe, it's okay."

Kurt shook his head and whispered back, "He nearly gave you a lap dance. He was undressing you with his eyes. That's not okay."

Blaine sighed before replying in the same hushed tone, "I didn't want that. Trust me. The whole time, I was thinking of how I'm planning on spending my evening with you."

Kurt beamed slightly, replying quietly, "Really?"

"Really."

Their conversation was cut short by David clearing his throat and addressing Sebastian, "Warbler candidate Smythe, after a discussion with my fellow councilmen, we have decided that we are going to need more time to decide upon your future within The Warblers. We will have made a final decision by the meeting tomorrow evening in senior commons."

Sebastian nodded, responding cockily, "Sure. Take as long as you need before you welcome me into the club."

Wes stood up and addressed everyone in the room, "Thank you everyone for joining us today. We understand that this meeting was not productive by way of preparing for sectionals, and will begin to discuss songs and solo auditions in tomorrow's meeting after the final bell. We will be meeting in the senior common room where we will from now on be meeting in unless we inform you otherwise." He grabbed his gavel from the table and banged it against its wooden block twice before saying, "Meeting concluded."

* * *

Everyone stood up and began to walk out of the boarding house music room, either deviating off towards the library to do the very little amount of homework they had unluckily received, outside to walk across campus to go home or back to their rooms to get some peace and quiet.

Kurt and Blaine walked together, their hands intertwined in one another's, heading back towards their room, when they heard and cocky yell, "Blaine, you hot piece of ass! Wait up!"

Blaine rolled his eyes and turned his head, "Not today, Sebastian. I'm too busy walking back to my room to make out with my boyfriend."

Kurt interjected cheekily to Blaine, "You'll have to catch me first."

Blaine chuckled beside the older boy as they continued to walk across the foyer towards the grand marble staircase, "Why do you think I'm holding your hand this tight? There's no escaping."

Kurt bit his lip as he replied, "Checkmate, Anderson."

They heard Sebastian call once more, "Blaine, you sexy beast! Stop ignoring me!"

But Blaine kept on dragging his boyfriend up the stairs, shaking his head as he did, "Don't worry about him, Kurt. He's nothing on you. You're the one that I want."

Kurt's heart was beating wildly and he was almost certain that it wasn't because of how fast he was being dragged up the stairs. Blaine wanted him. Blaine wanted him over someone else. No one had made him feel that special. With his dad, football and the tyre shop sometimes took over. With Finn, there was Rachel and the McKinley sports teams he participated in. With Mercedes, there was Sam. He finally felt like a priority and he didn't want this feeling to ever go away, and he was certain that Blaine wasn't in any rush to take it away from him.

* * *

_Dear Journal,_

_I can't deny this to myself any longer._

_I love him._

_I love someone I've only known a week._

_I need a reality check._

_What do I do?_

_- Kurt_

* * *

_Dear Journal,_

_Such a rollercoaster of a first day back. All I know is that Kurt is mine and I am his and nothing is going to stop us from being together. _

_At first, it was my dad. He called me after I told him about Kurt and expressed his views on the matter. It barely has anything to do with him, so I don't know why he's judging me. He's not even here for 50 weeks out of the year; sometimes I don't even feel like I have a father. It's me and Coop in the family and that's it. Because our parents only keep in touch when they disapprove about something, anything that's happening thousands of miles away from them. It's silly._

_Kurt calmed me down with kisses and calling me his and just allowing me to be close to him. I want to be back in that moment. _

_I never wanted this evening to end either. Imagine cuddling up to your boyfriend on a bed, laptop perching on your lap with the Philosopher's Stone playing, but barely watching it because he was distracting you with kisses to the neck, across the jawline and eventually to the lips. Well, trust me, I didn't have to imagine that. I lived it. I can't believe that that was my evening. Well, we had dinner first as well, but apart from that... A wonderful evening._

_I just hope that what we have doesn't end anytime soon. I don't think I've ever been so happy and sure about anything in my entire life, except maybe joining the Warblers and coming to Dalton in the first place. But even then, I'm debating over it. _

_I still can't believe that Kurt is my boyfriend. What did I do to deserve him? Why did he choose me? I don't get it but I'm happy it's happened._

_Anyway, it's way past the lights out rule and Kurt has already fallen asleep hugging his own journal. He looks adorable. Might take a photo and show him that he's beautiful even whilst sleeping._

_- Blaine_

* * *

**A/N: **So there we go. Chapter 6. Hope you enjoyed reading it. PLEASE REVIEW! - foreveragleek44


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait for this one. Had writer's block and coursework and exams and too much homework. I knew what I was trying to write but didn't know how to express it and make it readable and enjoyable. But I got there in the end :) There's quite a few text messages flying around in this chapter, sorry :P Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter! PLEASE REVIEW :)

**Warning: **Some violence in this chapter - just a heads up; and a little bit of homophobic language too. Oh, and also suggestions of injury and blood (most of which isn't related to the violence)

* * *

_**From: Mercedes Jones :)**_

_You'll never guess what? :) - Mercedes x_

_**To: Mercedes Jones :)**_

_You know I'm not going to guess :P - K x_

_**From: Mercedes Jones :)**_

_Mr Schue is our English teacher :) Much better than at teaching Spanish :) - Mercedes x_

_**To: Mercedes Jones :)**_

_You lucky girls! :O Our teachers are so boring! Mr Schue gave us high expectations! - K x_

_**From: Mercedes Jones :)**_

_I know! We're so happy :) That's not the best bit though :) - Mercedes x_

_**To: Mercedes Jones :)**_

_What do you mean? - K x_

_**From: Mercedes Jones :)**_

_He's also our Glee Club teacher :D - Mercedes x_

_**To: Mercedes Jones :)**_

_Lucky! Just make sure he does some modern music or you will get so bored again! - K x_

_**From: Mercedes Jones :)**_

_Don't worry about that :P Rachel already had a fit when he tried to make us sing some Bruce Springsteen - Mercedes x_

_**To: Mercedes Jones :)**_

_Oh my god! Well, I guess we're screwed for sectionals or regionals, whichever we end up competing against in - K x_

_**From: Mercedes Jones :)**_

_I'm sure you're better than us :P Trust me, the guys in Lyrical Explosion are nothing on you guys. We miss you guys! - Mercedes x_

_**To: Mercedes Jones :)**_

_Lyrical Explosion? - K x_

_**From: Mercedes Jones :)**_

_Yeah, Rachel pushed for that name. I don't get why, but it stuck. All I know is that we're not as good as we were back at McKinley - Mercedes x_

_**To: Mercedes Jones :)**_

_We'll see when we compete ;P Anyway, I need to go. Blaine appears to be unpacking my bag -.- So annoying! - K x_

_**From: Mercedes Jones :)**_

_But aren't you meant to be coming home tomorrow? - Mercedes x_

_**To: Mercedes Jones :)**_

_I am :P He's just being difficult! - K x_

_**From: Mercedes Jones :)**_

_Oh right! Tell lover boy I say hi and that I can't wait to meet him :) Love you, boy ;D - Mercedes x_

_**To: Mercedes Jones :)**_

_Will do :) Love you too, fabulous - K x_

* * *

The end of the week had come far too quickly. Blaine was disappointed at how quickly the week went. He knew time flew by when you are having fun, but at what point did that mean that he wanted the time to pass in the blink of an eye?

Blaine walked with Finn, Puck and Jeff from study hall to their European Geography class, chatting animatedly as they did. Blaine was glad that he had met new people this year in the form of the ex-McKinley students. He couldn't have asked for better friends but he knew that if he did anything to hurt Kurt, they would turn on him in favour of Kurt because they had known him longer and knew how fragile he was. Blaine understood that his new friends would always look out for each other, even if that meant they turned away from any friends they had made since enrolling at Dalton. Blaine knew that they were a solid social circle and that anyone that joined were simply electrons orbiting around the atom, unless they managed to solidify themselves into the group. Blaine hoped that some day he would because he saw the potential of many great friendships with the people he had met since the orientation week began. Granted, he wanted to still be friends with his Warbler mates, but he was more than happy to expand his social horizons if the McKinley clan would let him. From what he had experienced so far though, they seemed to accept new friends with open arms, as so far they had accepted Blaine and were also getting on well with at least three-quarters, if not all, of the Dalton Academy Warblers.

Puck smirked at Blaine. He knew what was coming as Finn had asked Puck this question just a few seconds ago, "Truth or Dare, Blaine?"

Blaine bowed his head and sighed, "Why, Puckerman? Why me?" The response he received was the smirk widening and a shrug of the shoulders. Blaine accepted defeat and answered bravely, "Dare."

Puck chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, "Dare you to yell that you and Kurt are an item."

Blaine replied cheerfully in response, "Easy!"

Jeff raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure about this, Blaine? Remember Karof-"

Before Jeff could finish his sentence, Blaine raised both his hands to his face and placed each hand on his cheeks to amplify his yells further. He shouted down the hallway, "KURT HUMMEL'S MY BOYFRIEND!"

_Thump._

The next thing Blaine knew, he stumbled back into one of the marble pillars lining the archaic corridor they were walking down. His cheek throbbed violently as he remembered the sensation of being punched in the jaw, having experienced it from a few homophobic jackasses towards the end of middle school.

He looked straight ahead to see David Karofsky being restrained by the other three boys, his friends' eyes widening in concern, with glints of fear and desperation sweeping through their facial expressions. Puck yelled in Karofsky's ear, "What did I tell you? By messing with my boy Blaine here, you're messing with a part of my boy Hummel's life. Just want to make that clear before I punch the crap out of you."

Karofsky was speechless as he whipped his body out of the hold of the other three boys, making a beeline for Blaine once again. Blaine was too busy tending to his cheek, feeling for any blood or bruising as a result of having a fist to the face. Before he realised that Karofsky was on the loose once more, he took a firm, violent punch to his stomach, the force pushing him further into the marble pillar, even though that didn't seem possible from Blaine's perspective.

He looked back up at Karofsky who was now dangerously close to his face. Karofsky growled, "So you're a faggot too, huh? Wouldn't surprise me that you'd jump straight onto Lady Boy Hummel. You gays have a strong gaydar, don't you?"

Blaine smirked a little, but upon realising it, made his face as neutral as possible as he replied snidely, "You would know, wouldn't you Karofsky? That _we_ gays have an excellent gaydar."

Karofsky's voice echoed down the entire length of the hallway he was yelling so loudly, "That's it, Anderson! It's go time! Who am I kidding? You won't be able to defend yourself! You're a pansy like Lady Boy Hummel!"

Before Karofsky could insult Kurt or hit him again, Blaine drew his knee up straight into Karofsky's crotch, causing him to fall to the floor. He briefly glanced at Puck, Finn and Jeff, who were standing looking in awe at the scene that had just unfolded. He then crouched down beside Karofsky and informed quietly and menacingly, "Trust me, Karofsky. I don't know much about you and you don't know much about me, but I know that you have a secret that I wouldn't mind sharing if you ever dare talk about Kurt in that way again. Puck isn't the only one who can give out the damage."

Karofsky scrambled to his feet and ran awkwardly, considering his pained state, down the hallway, his voice breaking as he yelled back at Blaine, "This isn't over, fag! Just wait til I get you alone! Bet you won't be so brave then!" He disappeared around the corner, his yells now sounding like a constant wall of noise bouncing off the wooden wainscotting, no words forming in Blaine's ears as his voice punched through the air.

Blaine's knees gave out from underneath him, causing him to fall backwards from his crouch onto his ass. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding before looking up at his friends once more.

A very familiar face had joined in staring in awe at what Blaine just did, but after a second of shock, Kurt rushed over to Blaine and crouched in front of him, tilting his head sideways so Kurt could check his cheek. He asked in a panicked tone, "Are you okay, honey?"

Blaine chuckled and grabbed the wrist that was holding his jaw, before sliding his hand down into Kurt's, "I've taken worse, baby. I'm fine."

Kurt replied in the same tone as before, "It's not fine. It's far from fine. He hurt you." He turned to the other three boys who were watching the scene pan out, fondness in their eyes that was masking their hatred for Karofsky. Kurt sighed, "You guys go on ahead to European Geography. Tell Mr. Cruise we're going to be late. If he asks, tell him Blaine tripped and I'm checking him over to make sure he's okay."

Finn interjected, "Why can't we just tell him the truth?"

Kurt narrowed his eyes, "Because he and Principal Thornton might not see Blaine's retaliation as self-defense."

Puck nodded as he lead the way down the corridor, "We've got your back. Come on, guys."

Puck, Finn and Jeff all began to jog down the corridor and turned the corner Karofsky had a few moments ago, leaving Kurt and Blaine in the quiet corridor, with no more students wandering around as the next class slot had already begun.

Before Blaine could say anything, Kurt's lips were on his, his tongue running along Blaine's lower lip. Blaine moaned into the kiss as he opened his mouth a little and allowed his tongue to fight for dominance against Kurt's. He cupped Kurt's cheeks in his hands, desperate to be closer to his boyfriend because he had never felt so safe after being punched as he did in that moment. Two hands found their way down Blaine's back, resting in the small of it, as Kurt pulled him closer, deepening the kiss as he did. Blaine let out another moan as Kurt's tongue swiped along the inside of his top lip, feeling his face flush slightly as he did, wishing he could control himself for once.

Kurt eventually pulled away, causing Blaine to flutter his eyes open, knowing that a flash of disappointment crossed through them. Kurt's breath ghosted against his lips and he spoke, "You shouldn't have to put up with getting hurt because of me."

Blaine began to stroke his thumbs against Kurt's cheeks, "Hey now. You're worth it. I want to be with you, and any amount of pain is worth it. Trust me."

Kurt pressed his forehead against Blaine's, a smile now plastered on his face, but his lip was trembling. He let out a shaky breath and his smile faded, "No. I can't just let you take hits because of me."

Blaine replied, his eyes trained on Kurt's lips, "What do you suggest we do?"

"Well, for a start, no more yelling out that we're together."

Blaine stuttered, "B-b-but Puck dared me to and you can't-" He stopped when Kurt began to give him a look which could kill. He took in a breath and rubbed his nose lightly against his boyfriend's, "Okay. No more yelling about it. But it kinda makes me feel you're ashamed to be with me." Blaine lowered his head and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the worst thing possible to happen. Instead, he felt a finger slide under his chin to tilt it up, looking into Kurt's deep glasz eyes once more.

Kurt responded sincerely, "Blaine, I'm far from ashamed. I talk about you all the time when I talk to my friends who are still in Lima. I want to hug you and kiss you when everyone else is around. But I don't. It's not because I'm ashamed of you. It's because I'm trying to protect you. I don't want you suffering because of me. I don't want you to be pummelled to a pulp because you're my boyfriend. I don't want you to feel pain..." He paused and placed his hand on Blaine's bruised cheek, Blaine flinching slightly as he did, "I don't want you feeling this. I'm far from ashamed. I just can't stand to see you get hurt. So just tell people who aren't going to want a fight because of us."

Blaine smiled a little but wasn't convinced, "Are you sure you aren't ashamed?"

Kurt briefly pressed his lips against Blaine's once, before replying, "How can I prove I'm not?"

Blaine reached into Kurt's uniform blazer pocket and pulled out his phone, pressing the central button to light up the screen, "Tell your dad about me. Right now. For me. Please. I know you wanted to talk to him when you got home this eveni-"

Kurt cut him off with another quick kiss, "Okay. I will."

Blaine asked, "You sure? Now I feel like I pressured you."

Kurt chuckled lightly, "You need to stop being so paranoid. I am not ashamed of you and you didn't pressure me and I want to be with you. I will do whatever it takes to prove it, honey."

Kurt tilted his phone so that both him and Blaine could see the screen as Kurt typed the text out and sent it:

_**To: Dad**_

_Dad, I was going to wait until I got home to tell you but I can't hold this in any longer. I've been keeping something from you since Sunday evening. I have a boyfriend. My beautiful roommate, Blaine Anderson. See you in a few hours - K _

Blaine chuckled as Kurt pressed the send button, "Beautiful?"

Kurt smiled, opening his camera app and taking a photo of Blaine, who was smiling goofily at the fact that Kurt told his dad that he thought Blaine was beautiful. He then turned his phone around with the photo on the screen and shrugged, "Yes. Beautiful."

Blaine's mouth fell open as he caught sight of the purple splotch on his cheek, "That's a lot worse than I thought."

Kurt's smile faded slightly but was still noticeable, "You see what I mean?"

Blaine nodded in response before there was a moment's silence. He broke it as he shifted in preparation to stand up, "You really think I'm beautiful even with this?" He lightly touched his bruised cheek, wincing slightly at the spark of pain that flooded through the entire left side of his face.

Kurt nodded, "You will always be beautiful to me, Blaine, no matter what."

He stood up, extending his arm out to offer his hand for Blaine to take. Blaine didn't hesitate to place his hand in Kurt's and slot his fingers in between his boyfriend's. Kurt hoisted him up with a little too much force, causing Blaine to fall into his chest and almost stumbling over as a result. Blaine steadied Kurt, grinning widely as he did, "Sorry. I'll try not to flatten you with my blubber."

Kurt lightly struck his hand against Blaine's stomach, "What are you on about? I can feel nothing but muscle."

"Maybe someday you'll get to see it." Blaine winked and bit his lip. Kurt's mouth fell open and his eyes widened as Blaine let go of his hand and started down the corridor, his hips swaying seductively as he did. He stopped in his stride and called over his shoulder, "Are you coming to class, babe?"

Kurt jogged up behind him to catch up, lacing his fingers between Blaine's again once he was walking beside him and playfully swung their arms between them, "You see. Not ashamed. And I won't let go until we're in our seats. The whole of our European Geography class will see us together like this."

Blaine rested his head on Kurt's shoulder as they continued around the corner, sighing happily, "You're a great boyfriend. You know that, right?"

Kurt replied in the same happy tone as Blaine had used, his grin widening as he did, "You're the best boyfriend a guy could ask for."

"I doubt that considering you are."

Kurt questioned, "Is this one of those times when we'll never agree?"

Blaine chuckled, nodding his head slightly, careful to keep his head resting on Kurt's shoulder, "Yes it is."

Kurt hummed happily before responding in a sing-song tone, "And yet, I wouldn't change it for the world."

"Me neither."

* * *

"Mom, Burt, we're home."

Burt immediately poked his head around the archway between the front hallway and the living room, his eyes narrowing at Finn who was dragging his bags across the wooden floor, "Finn Christopher Hudson! How many times have I told you to carry your bags instead of scraping them across the floor?"

Finn rolled his eyes, lifting his bag as he advanced towards the stairs, preparing to go to his room, "About a million and one."

Without another word to Finn, who was slowly disappearing into the shadows of the dark upstairs hallway, he turned to Kurt who was still standing by the door, looking as though he was about ready to escape if he absolutely had to. Burt crossed his arms across his chest, "So. I got your message. What do you expect me to do with that information besides make me want to find my shotgun?"

Kurt's eyes widened, "Why would you want to find your shotgun?"

Burt replied sternly, "So that way when he hurts you, I can shoot him."

Kurt shook his head, exasperated by his father's thought process, "He won't. For now, we're great. Better than great."

Burt changed the subject a little, still using the same stern tone, "I barely know anything about the kid, Kurt. How can I know you'll be safe and loved by him?"

Kurt replied, his lips quivering as he wasn't sure whether to smile at his father's concern or to keep a neutral face for the question that slipped past his lips, "How about he stays with us for fall break and you could get to know him then?"

Burt raised an eyebrow, "What?" emphasising the 't' as he spoke.

Kurt nodded, suddenly certain that saying that was a good thing as this meant he had 3 weekends to change his father's mind instead of if he had waited until next weekend like he had originally planned. Clearly things weren't going to plan as it was, so he might as well have laid everything on the line, and get everything out in the open if it was necessary. He replied enthusiastically, "Yeah, Dad. He's unable to go home for fall break because his brother is going to be in Miami and his parents live in Japan for now, all because of work. Just please, Dad. I'm having trouble being apart from him for 2 nights. I'm not sure whether or not I could survive fall break. You could get to know him. I could show him around Lima. He could meet some of my friends. It'll be a great week."

Burt took a couple of steps towards Kurt, responding calmly, "I can tell how much you want something by how much of a drama queen you act like when you're talking to me. Some rules will need to be set. I know you share a room at Dalton but there will be rules. What you do there is none of my business. But under my roof, no shenanigans."

Kurt felt himself blush as he stumbled on his words, "W-w-we haven't had s-s-sex, Dad, if that's what you're getting at. I'm not planning to for a while yet. I want to be sure, so you have nothing to worry about."

His dad bobbed his head hesitantly, "Bedroom door always open whenever you're down there; he sleeps on your bed couch like Finn used to before him and Carole moved in here; no funny business, regardless of whatever's going on at school."

Kurt raised an eyebrow, uncertainty cutting through his voice, "So is that a yes?"

Burt couldn't help but let a meek smile dance across his lips, "Yes, buddy." Kurt let out a squeal of delight before Burt added, "But, there will be more rules. Don't think there won't be more rules."

Kurt enveloped a hug around his father, unable to contain his excitement, "Thank you, Dad. You won't regret it."

Burt chuckled as he patted his son's back, "Make sure I don't."

* * *

_**To: Blaine xxxxx**_

_Fall break? - K xoxox_

_**From: Blaine xxxxx**_

_What about it, babe? ;D - B xoxox_

_**To: Blaine xxxxx**_

_Please tell me you're joking - K xoxox_

_**From: Blaine xxxxx**_

_Of course I am. Coop said it's all good :) So excited :D - B xoxox_

_**To: Blaine xxxxx**_

_Me too, Blaine :D There are going to be rules though - K xoxox_

_**From: Blaine xxxxx**_

_Kinda figured :P I'm sharing a room with Finn, aren't I? - B xoxox_

_**To: Blaine xxxxx**_

_Actually, if you sleep on my foldable bed and we keep the door open whenever we're both down here, you can stay in my room :) - K xoxox_

_**From: Blaine xxxxx**_

_Awesome :D I gotta run. Wes and David are begging me to have buggy races against them. Have fun with Mercedes this afternoon :3 - B xoxox_

_**To: Blaine xxxxx**_

_Just make sure you don't get hurt, Blainey. I can only imagine how upset that would make me. Oh, and don't get caught, honey. You know it's against the rules. You won't be allowed to drive on campus anymore - K xoxox_

_**From: Blaine xxxxx**_

_I won't, don't worry :) And anyway, it's another excuse to get you to drive me everywhere if I get caught ;) - B xoxox_

_**To: Blaine xxxxx**_

_Stop being an goofball and go have fun with your friends :) Enjoy your Saturday :) Text me after lights out? - K xoxox_

_**From: Blaine xxxx**_

_Of course! Wouldn't miss it for the world :3 - B xoxox_

* * *

"ON YOUR MARKS! GET SET! GO!"

Blaine pressed down the accelerator and sped off ahead of David and Wes, the other boarders who had stayed for the weekend cheering and applauding wildly as they began to race across the huge, luscious, deep green lawn outside the boarding house.

Blaine couldn't help but laugh as the adrenaline pumped through his veins; the thought of being caught by this weekend's teacher-in-charge was exhilarating. He had never dared to break any rules until now. He was feeling more comfortable in his environment, being a sophomore now and all, so he was beginning to feel the urge to push the boundaries, and the two seniors he was currently racing were helping him to do so.

A thought flashed through his mind. He almost took his foot off the accelerator. What if Mr Thornton was the boarding teacher this weekend? He was a model student, and had only been into his grand and elegant office for praise and for friendly chats about the school and his progress, or even just a chat about life in general. He didn't want to disappoint, but at the same time, he knew he could win. The thought of winning this race overruled all his other thoughts, and so he pressed his foot down as hard as the pedal would let him. He looked over his shoulder and yelled, "You're no match for me, guys. Seriously, this is a race, not a leisurely drive across campus."

Suddenly, Blaine heard the slightly nasally voice of one of his fellow Warbler, Trent, yell across from the boarding house to where Blaine was driving, "Tree!"

Before Blaine could even register what he had said, he felt the crash, his body thrown sideways as he fell out the buggy, his head hitting a root from the tree as he did. He lifted his head, clutching where he had hit it, only to feel drops of his own warm blood trickling down his forehead and temple. Wes had abandoned his buggy in the middle of the lawn and had ran over to Blaine for the rest of the distance, whilst David sped up in his buggy and joined Wes merely seconds later, breaking smoothly to avoid the tree and dented buggy. They both knelt down, and tried to turn him over. Wes quietly said, "Let me see it. Let me see, Anderson."

Blaine turned over, catching sight of the small puddle of blood seeping into the dirt, "Go get someone. Anyone. Just go."

The time between the teacher coming and the trip to the hospital was hazy to Blaine. His vision became fuzzy but the world around him never blacked out. He slipped between blurry vision and oversensitivity to the light. He wasn't entirely sure how he even ended up in the Westerville ER, but by the time he was sitting in the waiting room with Jeff, he had gotten his bearings. A bandage was now wrapped around his head and eye. He understood why his head was covered, but he didn't understand why his eye was covered. He turned to Jeff, "Wh-what's wrong with me?"

Jeff patted Blaine's shoulder, "Deep cut to the forehead and a tear to the eyelid."

Blaine rested his head against the waiting room wall, closing his uncovered eye to rest it, "Great. I'm gonna have scars. What if they're unattractive? What if Kurt doesn't like scars?"

Jeff chuckled softly beside him, "He likes you for more than your looks, you know. Any guy's lucky to have you, and I think he knows he's lucky."

Blaine hummed beside his friend, "I'm the lucky one. I can't believe no one else has loved him like I love him now." His uncovered eye snapped open and he began to open and close his mouth but no words came out. He could feel the heat of a blush creeping through his face. He couldn't believe he had just said that.

Jeff asked encouragingly, "Do you really mean that?"

Blaine sighed happily, "Yeah. Yeah, I think I love him. But I can't tell him. He'll freak out."

Jeff smiled at him but didn't say anything. Blaine didn't continue voicing his musings aloud. They sat in silence, leaving Blaine in his own thoughts. He loved Kurt. _He loved him._ That was going to make things even more complicated.

* * *

Kurt was so glad to visit the Lima Bean. The coffee wasn't as good as back in the boarding house coffee room but he had still missed the scene. He sat at his usual window table, two other empty chairs surrounding it, as he patiently waited for Mercedes and Tina to arrive. Kurt hadn't planned on seeing Tina as she seemed too busy with Mike during the weekends nowadays, but it seemed that Mike had made plans with his parents or something, leaving Tina's plans wide open.

He sipped on his latte, his eyes fixated on the door as he did, hoping that the longer he looked at them the quicker his friends would show up. It only took a minute more of staring before he recognised the familiar faces and animated voices that came through the door. Before he could ever stand up to greet them, Kurt was pulled into a tight hug by both girls, "Okay easy, ladies. This jacket is an Alexander McQueen."

Tina giggled as she sat down opposite him, "Mercedes, you owe me a coffee."

Mercedes slung her leather jacket onto the back of the last chair and sighed, "Girl, I thought he wouldn't wear one because of all the hugging. I'll be back in a minute with your coffee."

Kurt raised an eyebrow at Tina as Mercedes walked off towards the counter. Tina responded to his look, "We had a bet about whether you'd be wearing any Alexander McQueen today and I won."

Kurt shook his head, taking another sip of his latte, "That doesn't surprise me. That you were betting on me." He paused and looked out the window for a second before mentioning, "Once you've been to the Dalton Academy coffee house, no other coffee compares."

Tina replied suggestively, "Maybe it's not the coffee but the company."

Kurt sighed, "Mercedes told you about Blaine, didn't she?" Tina nodded as he continued, "How much has she told you?"

Tina smiled, "Not that much. Just that he's your boyfriend and your roommate and that he gave you a hickey the size of a planet."

She reached across the table and began to tug the scarf away before Kurt batted her hand away, "No, Tina. It's still there, okay? I- I- Ugh, fine."

Mercedes sat down as he removed the scarf, letting out an over-the-top gasp, "It's even bigger in person."

Kurt rolled his eyes, as the two girls gaped at him, "So how's West Lima High?"

Mercedes filled him in, "Well, Rachel's practically taken over Lyrical Explosion, and the teachers aren't as dramatic and are a lot more attentive. But we miss you guys."

Tina swallowed her sip of coffee, "Oh and we got our letter for Sectionals. We're up against you Warblers, and we're hosting it."

"Really?"

Mercedes nodded, "Yeah boy, so you better bring the best of the best or else we're gonna wipe the floor with you. The guys in Lyrical Explosion are getting better by the day."

Kurt chuckled, "Oh, don't you worry. Our lead singer is Blaine. We've got the best of the best." Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his jacket pocket. He slid it out slowly, "I bet this is him now. He's always sending me cute text messages."

He looked down at the screen, his eyebrows knitted in confusion when Blaine's name didn't light up on the screen:

_**From: Carole Hudson-Hummel**_

_Kurt, you know how I'm working at Westerville Hospital for the next few weekends? Well, I'm currently looking over a chart before this consultation and you might want to drive over here. I have Blaine's chart, honey. I have a patient by the name of Blaine Anderson, who has come from Dalton. He's stable and conscious but I think he might need a hand to hold when I give him treatment for his head injury. Let me know what you're going to do. I need to go deal with a trauma case that has just come in - Carole x _

Kurt frantically replied, his eyes widening as he did:

_**To: Carole Hudson-Hummel**_

_OMG! Is he okay? Stupid question. I'll be there in 35 minutes. If you need to do treatment before then, then I'll be there by the time you're finishing up. Just do what's best for him. I'll be there as soon as I can - K x_

He stood up and pocketed his phone, the two girls looking up at him, confused expressions plastered on their faces, "Ladies, I'm sorry, but I need to go. An emergency has come around and I need to drive to Westerville for the rest of the afternoon."

Mercedes stood up and hugged him, "Okay, boy. Drive safe, and whatever's happened, I'm sure it will be fine."

Kurt nodded, a hint of despair in his voice as he began to assume the worst, "I'll tell you both what's going on later, when I know fully. I just need to go. I'm sorry."

Tina smiled, "Go. We'll rearrange this for another time."

Kurt nodded in response before blowing each of them a kiss and then running out of the building and straight to his car, a shiny black Lincoln Navigator.

He unlocked the door and buckled up frantically, turning the key in the ignition at the same time. He needed to get to Westerville and fast, but without breaking any road laws. He just hoped that he didn't get lost, because the sooner he got there, the sooner his mind would be put at ease. Because whilst Carole had told him that Blaine was stable, he wasn't convinced that that meant he was okay. After all, he was in the ER: a place people go when they're seriously ill or terribly injured.

* * *

Blaine was now sitting in a treatment room, waiting for a nurse to come and give him stitches for his forehead and to re-bandage his eye. Jeff had to return to the Dalton campus due to the long waiting time conflicting with curfew. Blaine didn't want his friend to get into trouble for not signing the necessary forms to be out past curfew. He knew he would be an exception because he was receiving treatment in the ER.

Now that he was completely alone, he couldn't help but think about how he let Kurt down, having told him that he wouldn't get hurt. He felt like Kurt would be disappointed when he found out what happened.

His thoughts were interrupted as the door creaked open and in walked a short, light brunette woman with soft and caring green eyes. Her smile showed that she wasn't just there to treat him but to also comfort him, and he couldn't help but allow a wave of relief to wash over him, only to be replaced by the guilt he was previously feeling.

The nurse greeted him, "Hi Blaine, I'm Carole. I'll be treating you today. Before I treat you, I must ask you a few questions and then go and get the necessary things to ensure for an effective recovery."

Blaine smiled and nodded, something ringing a bell in his head. Where had he heard the name Carole before? Then it clicked. The lightbulb lit up. He raised an eyebrow, "Nurse Carole Hudson-Hummel?"

Carole nodded, "I thought I recognised your name. You know Kurt Hummel, right?"

Blaine grinned goofily, "Yes. He's my b- roommate."

Carole laughed softly, "Okay, so can you confirm your birthday for me?"

Blaine replied matter-of-factly, "5th October 1996."

Carole nodded and ticked it on her chart before starting, "And can you confirm your scho-"

Suddenly the door flew open and in came the boy who made Blaine's heart somersault every second he was with him. Kurt breathed heavily, "I got here as soon as I could."

Carole smiled and gestured towards a chair on the other side of the bed Blaine was sitting on. Kurt walked around the end of the bed and sat down, taking Blaine's hand in his own but not saying a word whilst Carole finished her questioning.

_Confirm your school. _Dalton Academy._ Confirm your home address. _Apartment 6D, 82 Van Street, Cincinnati, Ohio. _Confirm your next of kin. _Cooper Anderson, brother. _How did the incident happen? _Being stupid enough to accept a golf buggy race challenge by two seniors, and then drive too fast. _Have you been unconscious at all? _No, but my vision has been blurry. _What's your father's name? _William. _Did you work last summer and if so, where? _Starbucks on West McMillan Street. _Who is the boy sitting next to you? _Kurt, my amazing bo- roommate.

He was certain that the last few questions were to test his memory and to determine whether he was suffering from brain damage. It seemed to check out just fine. He knew he got everything right. He wasn't sure if Carole knew that Kurt was his boyfriend yet, so he had to have a lot of control to make sure he didn't let it slip.

Carole left the room to go grab a few things before she removed his bandage and started doing her work. He turned to Kurt, looking into hurt blue eyes, whispering, "Kurt, I'm so sor-"

He was silenced when Kurt leant across and pressed his lips against his own, making the rest of his sentence come out as a small groan. Why wasn't Kurt scolding him for hurting himself? His parents would have. Cooper might have, although with his injury history, Blaine might have gotten away with this.

He concentrated on the movement of their lips, slotting perfectly together and moving in perfect synchronisation. Blaine reached across and placed both his hands around Kurt's waist, desperately trying to bring him closer. He needed Kurt's arms around him. He needed it for comfort. He needed it because he felt more connected like that. Kurt eventually took the hint, sliding his arms around Blaine's neck, as Blaine started to place gentle licks onto Kurt's lips, hoping Kurt would take that hint too. But he didn't.

Instead, Kurt pulled away. Blaine couldn't help but frown. Kurt took in a deep breath and then a tear started to fall. Blaine's frown was now on his face for a different reason. He took an arm from around Kurt's waist and began to wipe the tears away from his boyfriend's eye, "Baby, what's wrong?"

Kurt swallowed a sob, "You really scared me."

Blaine pulled Kurt up onto the bed, holding him in his arms. His heart threatened to break out of his chest as the new, welcoming warmth snuggled further into his embrace. He began to stroke Kurt's hair absentmindedly as Kurt whimpered a little. Blaine whispered, "Ssh ssh. It's okay. I'm okay. I'm so sorry. I won't do anything like this ever again. I promise." He paused, thinking how he could get Kurt to respond to him, "How did you find out anyway?"

Kurt lifted his head to look Blaine in the eye, "Carole thought it was you when she looked at your chart 45 minutes ago, but with a trauma case coming in and everything, it gave me time to grab my things and get here before she treated you."

Blaine couldn't help but let a small smile curve on his lips, "You've brought your stuff with you?"

Kurt responded shyly, "I'm coming back to Dalton for the rest of the weekend. Make sure you don't do anything else ridiculous."

Blaine leant down to kiss his boyfriend once more, completely overwhelmed that Kurt had given up his weekend plans to come back here. Because of him, albeit to make sure that he didn't do anything else stupid, but it still spoke volumes to Blaine. He knew Kurt had plans with his Lima friends all weekend, that his boyfriend was really enthused about all his plans this weekend, but he was willing to give up coffee with Mercedes, spa morning with Quinn, Santana and Rachel, an afternoon watching films with everyone, including the new additions to Dalton Academy. Kurt really did care about him, that much was now apparent in Blaine's mind.

They both pulled away, jumping slightly as the door was opened. Carole came back with new bandages, an eyepatch and a medical stitching needle. She walked over to a drawer without saying a word and pulled out the medical stitching thread, a few antiseptic wipes and a small box of tissues. She sat down in the chair she was previously sat in and placed the items on the metallic table next to the bed before reaching under the table to grab a pair of gloves from the table's under-shelf. She smiled slightly, "Kurt, honey, you can't be sitting there right now. You can when I'm done, okay?"

Kurt nodded and slid back down into the chair opposite Carole without saying a word, taking Blaine's hand in his own once more. Blaine gave Kurt's hand a reassuring squeeze, as if it was Kurt who was about to have stitches. When Kurt squeezed back, Blaine knew that everything would be okay eventually. He was worried out of his mind about having stitches and an eyepatch and possible scars on his face for the rest of his life. He didn't dare show his anxiety though, not in front of Kurt, who was already shaken up. He needed to be strong. He needed to show no fear, because if he completely lost it, then so would Kurt, and he wasn't prepared to make Kurt feel terrible. So for now, he just took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, gritting his teeth together as Carole began to unwrap the bandages, longing for the procedure to end before it had even begun.

* * *

Kurt lay with Blaine on his bed, pretending to watch Harry Potter and The Goblet Of Fire on his laptop, but he was distracted. Blaine rested his head on Kurt's chest as Kurt stroked his mildly gelled hair, careful not to snag his bandage or eyepatch at all.

Blaine noticed, reaching to the laptop and pausing the movie before looking up at his boyfriend, "What's wrong?"

Kurt smiled down at Blaine, "Nothing. Nothing at all."

Blaine raised an eyebrow and chimed accusingly, "Kurt."

Kurt sighed in defeat, "You really want to know?" Blaine nodded, causing Kurt to sigh once more, "You're perfect to me. You're just so perfect. I don't get why someone so perfect would want to be with me."

Blaine shook his head in disbelief, "I'm not perfect. If I'm perfect then you must be some kind of super-perfect."

Kurt grinned widely, "But that's not possible. In any case, the point remains that you're too good for me."

Blaine shifted up the bed a little so that their eyes were level with each other's. Kurt avoided eye contact at all costs, but Blaine was having none of it, "Kurt, look at me. I want to look into your eyes when I say this." Reluctantly, Kurt looked straight ahead into Blaine's eyes, where Blaine was lucky that his boyfriend had appeared to have gotten lost in them. He briefly bit his lip before continuing, "Kurt, I'm not too good for you. No one is too good for you. You're too good for everyone else. I can't imagine lying here cuddled up to anyone else. What we have, what we've gotten ourselves into, I wouldn't change it for the world." He laced his fingers in between Kurt's where their hands had been resting on Kurt's chest. He grinned widely, "I wouldn't have normally asked a guy out who I have only known a week. I took the chance with you not expecting anything to happen because I knew you were special, unique, unbelievable. And the fact you would want to be with me makes me think that I'm imagining your existence."

Kurt's face was now millimetres away from Blaine's, "I need you to stay in my life."

Blaine shifted his body slightly closer to his boyfriend, "You have me. You won't lose me. I'll stay as long as you want me around."

They shared a few innocent kisses, the promise of a long relationship looming in the air. As Kurt pulled away from the last kiss, his thoughts fumbled for a second. He wondered in his head, "Do I tell him? Should I risk it? It seems like a good time to announce it. But what if it ruins everything?"

He shook his head and continued to place quick yet beautiful kisses on his roommate's lips, wondering how he had managed to be so lucky, even if Blaine didn't think that Kurt was the lucky one.

* * *

_Dear Journal, _

_What a weekend! Let's see, before Friday was even over, I got beaten up by Karofsky. What a bastard! He's the biggest homophobe ever, but how his motives are always to do with Kurt suggests something more. Like when Caleb in middle school; he bullied me and he announced that he's gay a few months ago. I'm not saying that this Karofsky situation is the same, but I'm not ruling out the possibility. I'm going to need to keep an eye on that. Who knows what could happen?_

_So I had a black eye from that. Then I raced with David and Wes across the boarding house lawn in golf buggies and crashed into a tree. Fell out face first into a tree root. Reasonably deep cut to the forehead (7 stitches) and a tear to the eyelid (nothing they could do about that except for an eyepatch until it's healed). I'm worried that Kurt's going to find any scars I will have unattractive. I know he's not shallow, and will get past it but how am I supposed to lure him into loving me when he's mildly repulsed by my face._

_Oh yeah, by the way, I figured something out. I LOVE KURT ELIZABETH HUMMEL! I know he's certainly not there yet and I'm just jumping into everything far too quickly, but is it weird that it feels right to me? It's weird, isn't it?_

_Oh, Thad came in a minute ago with our Sectionals letter. We're competing the Friday we break for Fall Break. Go figure! I'm going home to Cincinnati the weekend before seeing as it will make little sense to go from Lima to Cincinnati just to go back again, what with me spending the week at Kurt and Finn's. _

_We're competing against West Lima High's Lyrical Explosion and Kenton Central's Singing Charms. Ha ha ha. Sorry, I can't even write that without expressing my laughter. Singing Charms? _

_Anyway, need to sleep now. Tomorrow's Monday and Monday means lessons._

_- Blaine_

* * *

_Dear Journal,_

_One word for this weekend: mayhem! Blaine got beaten up and seriously injured in the space of 24 hours. I came back here because I don't want him doing anything else ridiculous that could end up with even more injuries. It's not that I don't trust him. I just want to make sure he's safe, and the easiest way to put my mind at ease was by staying with him this weekend._

_I'm glad I did though. We watched Harry Potter and cuddled up and had a great time together. I hope this is how fall break will be. Us two just having a laugh and enjoying each other's company with the occasional meeting up with friends._

_Speaking of friends, Thad gave us the information for Sectionals. We get out of the last day before fall break as we have to take the trip to Lima to thrash Lyrical Explosion and these other people called Singing Charms. Some people are strange enough to call their glee club that. I'm not going to judge. Well, actually... _

_Can it please just be the Friday before fall break already? Sectionals and then a whole week with my boyfriend. It's going to be amazing. Have to wait 2 more weeks though. Just hoping they go quickly._

_- Kurt_

* * *

**A/N: **So there you have it. Hope you enjoyed this chapter :) I'll update as soon as I can :D PLEASE REVIEW! :) - foreveragleek44


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Hey guys, chapter 8 is here :) Just a warning, there's angst - I had to stop writing 4 times because I began crying, so heads up and I'm sorry if I make you cry and if you don't then fair enough! A few songs to add to the end of the youtube URL. First song (sung by the Lyrical Explosion girls) is When I Grow Up by The Pussycat Dolls - /watch?v=K0K46C82v9o . Second song (sung by Blaine, Finn, Sam, Joe and Mike) is Little Things by One Direction - /watch?v=xGPeNN9S0Fg . Third song (sung by The Warblers) is Troublemaker by Olly Murs featuring Flo Rida - /watch?v=4aQDOUbErNg .

Hope you enjoy the chapter :) PLEASE REVIEW!

* * *

_Dear Students,_

_In light of a recent event, all students are to partake in a buggy refresher session upon return to Dalton Academy after fall break. This refresher session is MANDATORY to all students and has been arranged to ensure your safety upon use of the buggies available to you. Failure to attend your 15-minute session, regardless of class schedule, will result in a week's detention and permanent removal of buggy privileges. _

_The schedule will be attached to the boarding house noticeboards, lunch hall noticeboards, and any extra-curricular noticeboards around the school. Please check your time upon your return to campus after fall break to ensure you know when to report to the school courtyard._

_I hope you have a pleasant and relaxing fall break,_

_Mr. H Thornton_

_Your Principal_

* * *

The next two weeks seemed to fly by, much to both Blaine and Kurt's satisfaction. The fortnight seemed to go really well in comparison to what they had experienced in that one terrible weekend. For a start, Karofsky hadn't gone anywhere near them since Blaine kneed him in the groin. Kurt was no longer on edge because of it so he felt more carefree and relaxed than he had been since he knew about Karofsky's arrival. The only bad thing about the two weeks was that Sebastian was officially welcomed into the Warblers as a permanent addition to the group. That meant countless suggestive glances in Blaine's direction and endless minutes of jealousy flooding through Kurt's brain.

Earlier in the day, Blaine had gone to Westerville Hospital to have his bandages and eyepatch removed. Both injuries had healed nicely; the eyelid scar was non-existent and his forehead scar was really faint. Carole had done a good job taking care of him and he could tell that she would be supportive of him and Kurt during fall break, no matter what ended up happening between him and Kurt's father.

Blaine was packing his bag, humming happily at the fact that he was going to be staying over Kurt's for the entire week. He folded his clothes and collected his belongings that had been scattered around the room from weeks of living there. He desperately searched for his last remaining bottle of hair gel, which he would need to keep handy for the following morning. Kurt walked in, ruffling his hair in a towel to make sure it was dry after having a shower. Blaine bombarded him and asked panicked, "Kurt, have you seen my hair gel?"

Kurt smiled cheekily and bit his lip, "I might be holding it hostage."

Blaine walked over to Kurt and grabbed the towel, throwing it onto his bed before grabbing Kurt lightly around the waist, "Where is it?"

Kurt chuckled, "Not telling you."

Blaine whined, "Kurt, come on. Sectionals is tomorrow and I refuse to go onstage without my hair gel."

Kurt chuckled again, his forehead now resting against Blaine's, "Well, that's going to be a shame. I was looking forward to your rendition of Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You Up'. Now we'll just lose Sectionals instead."

Blaine pretended to look annoyed, his bottom lip sticking out in a pout, his brow furrowed, his eyes narrowed slightly, "You realise you are holding both my hair gel and our win at Sectionals hostage? Where is your logic?"

"I want to see your hair, not gelled."

It was Blaine's turn to chuckle, "If I agree to a day without hair gel over fall break, will you please give it back?"

Kurt's smile widened, "Deal."

Before Blaine could tell Kurt to go get the hair gel, wherever he had hidden it, Kurt closed the small gap between their lips, a long lingering kiss making Blaine's mind flood with happiness and calmness in the moment. He was slowly becoming addicted to kissing Kurt, never wanting the slender pink lips pressing against his own to stop what they were doing. The next thing Blaine knew, Kurt had pushed him down onto one of their beds, but he wasn't sure whose as he was disorientated from the overflow of emotions he was feeling. The kisses continued, gentle and caring at first, but as time went on, tongues began to dance across each other's lips and start to explore each other's mouths like there was no tomorrow. Moans, groans, gasps and sighs all escaped their mouths as the kiss deepened further, teeth occasionally clanking against each other's now but with no hesitation in continuing. Kurt's hands were gripping Blaine's gelled hair, unable to care about whether or not he would mess it up, whilst Blaine's hands glided up and down Kurt's sides, wondering how far he would be able to go before Kurt stopped him.

Kurt pulled away, unable to contain his thoughts any longer. He looked into Blaine's mildly disappointed eyes, his heart beating wildly as he was about to take a big risk. He took a deep breath in, "I love you, Blaine."

Blaine spoke before his mind could process what Kurt had just said, "_Shit._"

Kurt climbed off Blaine and sat at the end of his bed, trying desperately not to show any upset, hurt or anger. Blaine swore at him when he told him he loved him. Anything would have been better than swearing. Before he knew it, Kurt could feel the tears streaming uncontrollably down his cheeks. He desperately tried to wipe them away, getting up from the bed and reaching into his blazer pocket hanging on his wardrobe's door handle to retrieve Blaine's hair gel. He turned around and threw it onto Blaine's bed, missing Blaine's thigh by only an inch, before yelling, "Here's your stupid hair gel!"

Blaine stuttered, "K-K-Kurt I-"

Kurt interrupted him, hurt slicing through his voice, "You know what, Blaine? I just told you how I really feel about you. I was just being honest with you, and you swore at me. Anything would have been better. Even if you had just told me you weren't there yet, then I would have understood. But you swearing... That tells me everything. That tells me you aren't serious about this. About us." He turned around and grabbed his pyjamas, a pillow and his duvet, "It took a lot of courage for me to even dare say that, Blaine. I've never expressed my true feelings for anyone before and you've just thrown it back in my face. It hurts. It hurts more than anything ever has before."

Blaine tried to talk again, "Hear me out?"

Kurt shook his head, "I'm sorry, Blaine, but I just can't right now. I'm going to stay with Finn and Puck tonight, and I'll listen when I'm ready, but I just hope you have a back up plan for fall break, because it's looking like you're going to need to use it."

With that, Kurt began to advance over to the door, pausing at Blaine's voice echoing through the room, "Kurt, wait!"

Kurt didn't turn around. He shook his head and opened the door, "No, I won't."

Kurt slammed the door and quickly walked to the next door down the corridor, knocking on it half-heartedly, almost completely losing himself in the waterfalls of tears and held back sobs that were consuming him.

Puck answered the door. He took one look at Kurt and then pulled him into a hug, "I don't know what's happened bro, but you can stay with us tonight."

* * *

Blaine knocked on Wes' and Thad's bedroom door, desperate to get some advice. When the door was replaced by air, Blaine immediately walked in and began talking, glad to see that David was also visiting them because that meant he wouldn't have to make another visit, "We need to change my solo song to a group song, and it can't be 'Never Gonna Give You Up' anymore."

Thad crossed his arms over his chest, "Why not? It's the night before Sectionals. Why would we change our setlist now?"

Blaine ran his hand over his head, "I screwed up. Kurt told me he loved me. I said shit. I need to show him that I love him too. I have the perfect song choice but I need you to be onboard as the Warbler Council so I can begin getting together the group of guys I need to make this perfect."

David raised an eyebrow, "You swore at him. What were you thinking?"

Blaine replied, pacing up and down, "I wasn't. That's the point. My mouth moved before I could think. I wanted to tell him that I love him too and me swearing was just me being surprised at him telling me how he truly feels. But he stormed out before I could."

Wes nodded, "Okay, gather the troops up. You can do your other song choice. I don't even care what song it is. I know you have good judgement. I just don't want something special ending because you had a lapse in thought process. You go get him. We'll support you the entire way."

Thad asked, "Who else will be singing?"

Blaine sighed, "I was thinking Finn, Sam, Joe and Mike because I think Puck will be comforting Kurt and it's too slow a song for Artie."

David clapped his hands together, "That's perfect. All very good candidates for the job."

"Thank you. Thank you all. You have no idea how much this means to me."

* * *

Kurt waited in Finn and Puck's room until he heard the door to his room close and the wheeling on a couple of suitcases faded down the hallway before returning to the room to get changed in record time and to finish packing. 5 minutes later, he emerged with his suitcases, Puck waiting for him outside his room.

They walked across campus together in silence, Puck knowing that Kurt just wanted to be alone with his thoughts. Kurt had explained everything to Finn and Puck the night before, even though that a lot of it seemed to come out as incoherent sobs. Finn had agreed to talk to Blaine on the bus on the way to Sectionals whilst Puck sat at the back of the bus with Kurt and tried to take his mind off of Blaine's stupidity for just a little while.

Having dumped their bags in the luggage compartment under the bus itself, Puck led the way towards the back of the bus, Kurt following close behind. He was stopped by someone grabbing his wrist, and he could tell from the way his wrist was being gripped who it was. Blaine pleaded, "Kurt, will you please listen for one second?"

Kurt snatched his wrist away, hurt crossing over his face once more, "Save it. You'll just hurt me more."

He hurried down the bus and slid onto the seat next to Puck. Puck asked quietly, "You okay?"

Kurt nodded before resting his forehead against the seat in front of him, "He's an asshole. I wish I never met him."

Puck gasped, "Don't say that. Think about the past few weeks, okay? I don't think any of us had ever seen you as happy as you have been since you met Blaine. I mean, even in your current state, you still seem happier in some way. He changed you for the better. If you hadn't met him, you'd still be under the torment of Karofsky and fearing bullies every day. Don't you get it? He hurt you, and yet I can still see you love him. Do you know how I see it? Because every time you say something bad about him, I see the guilt on your face. So don't go giving me that crap about how you wish you'd never met him, Hummel. He made your life better, and you know that you will patch this up."

Kurt couldn't help but smile a little at Puck, lifting his head off the seat in front of his as the bus began to move, "He did make my life better, but now he's the one who has made it bad again."

Puck sighed, "Okay, I didn't want to tell you myself. I wanted him to tell you, but I can tell he loves you back and he was just surprised you got there first. I mean, he's glancing back at us every few seconds and keeps begging for you to listen. He wants to be with you still, Hummel. That's gotta count for something."

Kurt let out a disgruntled snort, "Don't be so absurd, Puck. He just hates people being mad at him."

Puck shrugged, "There's definitely something else there. Definitely."

Kurt muttered, "Whatever." He closed his eyes and tried to take a nap, having not slept well on Puck and Finn's bedroom floor during the night.

He was drifting between sleep and being awake, clutching onto a recurring dream he had been having of him and Blaine taking a walk in Lima park, hoping that he would one day get to do that. Hope. He still hoped. That was all he had left to cling onto now. Hope that it would work out.

His thoughts were disturbed when he heard footsteps breaking the rhythm of the rumbling engine, causing him to lazily flutter his eyes open. He glanced over at Puck, who was snoring lightly with his head against the window, before turning back to the shadow now towering over him, "What do you want, Mike?"

Mike knelt down beside Kurt and quietly murmured, "I want you to not give up on Blaine."

Kurt whined, "Not you too."

Mike placed his hand on Kurt's shoulder, "Kurt, I've just spent the past 30 minutes listening to him talk about how much he regrets what he said and how he wished that he was with you at the back of this bus, making you laugh and telling you how perfect he thinks you are. You've never had anyone fight to keep you before. Please at least think about it."

Kurt had a single tear escape his eye, thinking about how Blaine could be in his arms right now. He nodded, his voice cracking as he replied, "Okay. I'll think about it. But no matter what I decide, I'm going to wait until after Sectionals is over. I'll give myself the chance to figure out what to say."

Mike also nodded, "That seems fair."

Kurt bit his lip as he caught sight of Blaine turning around to look at him, "My head is telling me to end it, but my heart is telling me that he's the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I just don't know what to do anymore, Mike."

Mike stood up, "Whatever you decide, it will be the right choice for you. But remember that hurting someone you're close to, no matter what has happened, could really hurt you too."

Mike turned around and left him alone with his thoughts. Kurt's mind was reeling. Mike's words repeating in his head. _Whatever you decide, it will be the right choice for you. But remember that hurting someone you're close to, no matter what has happened, could really hurt you too._

Kurt didn't need the mind of a rocket scientist to understand what Mike was trying to say. If he hurt Blaine, then he would be hurting himself too. How, he wasn't sure yet. But he was debating whether or not it was best to find out. He was at war with his thoughts and his feelings, no longer sure what to do. All he knew was that he wasn't ready to let go, even though it seemed like he would have to in order to protect himself from being hurt by Blaine again.

* * *

Blaine waited for Mike to come back to see what his findings were. The footsteps echoed down the bus and then he was back in his seat on the other side of the bus from Blaine and Finn. Blaine raised an eyebrow at Mike, "What did he say?"

Mike replied, lightly poking Artie awake as he did, "He said he'd think about it, which does seem fair."

Blaine murmured, "He wasn't suspicious about you guys sitting up front with me?"

Mike began to shake Artie, who was stirring but drifting back to sleep again, "I don't think he's even noticed." Mike turned to Artie, "Abrams, wake up!" He turned back to Blaine, "I think he'll make up his mind when we're all out on that stage singing."

Finn interjected, "I don't get it though. Why this song? It's all about love and a flawless person. I know you think he's perfect, but you don't love him, do you?" Blaine shrunk in his seat, "You wouldn't have sworn if you love him."

Blaine sighed in defeat, "I love him, Finn! Okay? I do! I love your stepbrother and I was shocked. The real question is how are you so clueless to the fact that I'm in love with him after everything I've told you guys?" Blaine cupped his face in his hands before continuing, "Sorry for that outburst. I just... I hate myself right now."

Sam leant forward so his head was in between Finn's and Blaine's, "Don't hate yourself. What you're about to do is very romantic. I mean, declaring your love for the guy who you've hurt in front of a few thousand people... Not everyone would do that, bro, especially not with homophobia around. He'll come to his senses."

Blaine sighed, "I hope you're right, Sam. I don't want to lose him."

Finn smiled slightly, "You won't. I know Kurt, probably not as much as you to be honest, but I know him enough to know that he wouldn't give this up. He just needs time to think."

Blaine asked, trying to contain his hope, "So I'm not going to lose him?"

"It's not set in stone, but I don't think you will."

Finn's words were music to his ears. Blaine let a smile swipe across his lips as he wandered into his thoughts. _Just give Kurt time. Sing this song. Hopefully, he'll understand. Maybe he'll get that that's what I've been trying to say to him. Please, let him understand._

* * *

The Warblers all sat in the green room, waiting for the signal that they should go wait backstage. They were last to perform, right after Lyrical Explosion had finished. Kurt was upset that he would only get to hear his friends perform one song, but he knew that it was the standard protocol. All glee club members were to meet in the green room for at least 5 minutes each with the rest of their glee club to have a final discussion and to make sure everyone knew what they were doing.

Kurt felt a pit in his stomach as Blaine stood up and began to speak, "Well everyone, this is what we've all been working towards. Sectionals. Wouldn't it be great to start fall break on a win at Sectionals?" There were mumbles of agreement scattered across the room as he continued, "For all of you who don't yet know, I've given up my solo song to sing a group song with some of our newer members to the group." The room roared with questions, confusion and outrage. Wes banged his hand, having left his gavel at Dalton, against a table and nodded at Blaine to continue when the shouting stopped, "I have my reasons to do this, and I trust that they will only secure our win further than if I was alone on that stage. This song will be the first song and then we'll do 'Troublemaker' as we had planned."

The lights flicked on and off, signalling for everyone to head backstage to prepare for their performance. Thad yelled as everyone began to file out, "Remember what side you're meant to enter on and make sure you are with the same group of people you expected to be."

As they all began to walk towards their places, Kurt felt another grab to his wrist, exactly like the one he had felt on the bus. He tugged his hand away and questioned, annoyed at Blaine, "What do you want, B?"

Blaine chuckled, "B? Well, you must still have some feelings for me if you're nicknaming me."

Kurt kept a steady tone and continued walking, feeling Blaine follow close behind, "What do you want?"

Blaine was happy that at least Kurt was willing to hear him out a little, "I just want you to know that I'm going to dedicate the first song to you."

Kurt stopped and turned, Blaine almost walking into him as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Why?"

Blaine replied in a sincere tone, "Because every word we will sing is what I really wanted to say to you last night, instead of ruining everything like I did."

Kurt turned and began to walk again, "Well, we'll see how I feel about still being in a relationship with you after you've sung it."

Blaine smirked to himself, "So you admit we're still in a relationship then?"

Kurt sighed grumpily, "I don't even know what we are anymore, Blaine. All I know is that you hurt me and that my heart hurts more than it ever has before and ever will again."

Kurt walked off to the wing of the stage and watched as his friends got into position for their next song, sparkling purple dresses making their movements unsubtle. Mercedes glanced over in his direction and gave him a small smile that he returned instantly. He was looking forward to having a proper conversation with her during fall break. It was long overdue for them to have some time alone together, and it seemed even more likely that it would be just him and her, with no Blaine there to distract.

The music started playing and Kurt immediately knew the song. He had hoped that the girls would have gotten to sing this back when they were all together in the New Directions, because it suited all of their voices. He was surprised when he heard Quinn singing and not Rachel. He smirked slightly as he knew that Rachel was probably not happy with the arrangement, but no doubt the entire last song was her and her alone.

Quinn sang in her pristine voice, with the other girls interjecting their voices every now and then to perform backing vocals:

_**Now I've got a confession. (Ha ha ha ha)  
**__**When I was young, I wanted attention. (Ha ha ha ha)  
**__**And I promised myself that I'd do anything, (Ha ha ha ha)  
**__**Anything at all for them to notice me. (Ha ha ha ha)**_

Mercedes now took the lead vocals, making Kurt smile at the fact that his best friend in that group of people was finally getting a solo:

_**But I ain't complaining, (Oh)  
**__**We all wanna be famous, (Oh)  
**__**So go ahead and say what you wanna say. (Oh)  
**__**You know what it's like to be nameless, (Oh)  
**__**Want them to know what your name is, (Oh)  
**__**Cause see when I was younger I would say,**_

All the girls were now singing together, the occasional harmony added here and there. A full-on dance routine had also begun, Kurt raising an eyebrow at how raunchy some of the dance moves were:

_**When I grow up, I wanna be famous, I wanna be a star, I wanna be in movies.  
**__**When I grow up, I wanna see the world, drive nice cars, I wanna have groupies.  
**__**When I grow up, be on TV, people know me, be on magazines.  
**__**When I grow up, fresh and clean, number one chick when I step out on the scene.**_

_**But be careful what you wish for cause you just might get it.  
**__**You just might get it, you just might get it.  
**__**But be careful what you wish for cause you just might get it.  
**__**You just might get it, you just might get it.**_

Rachel took a step forward, a single spotlight falling on her as she weaved in and out of everyone else who was standing still. She sang loudly, a twang of sassiness ringing through her voice as she did:

_**I see them staring at me, oh I'm a trendsetter.  
**__**Yes this is true cause what I do, no one can do it better.  
**__**You can talk about me, cause I'm a hot topic.  
**__**I see you watching me, watching me, and I know you want it.**_

Santana seemed to take the last chorus, with the others quietly singing along as backing vocals. She was smiling widely, and Kurt was as happy for her as he was for Mercedes, because as much as he hated to admit it, Santana was as talented as him and Rachel; she just didn't used to apply herself in rehearsals back at McKinley. She seemed to have had a change in mindset though, if she was getting a solo now:

_**When I grow up, I wanna be famous, I wanna be a star, I wanna be in movies.  
**__**When I grow up, I wanna see the world, drive nice cars, I wanna have groupies.  
**__**When I grow up, be on TV, people know me, be on magazines.  
**__**When I grow up, fresh and clean, number one chick when I step out on the scene.**_

All the girls joined in properly, all their voices mixing as one. That was something he loved about New Directions; the fact that all their voices were so different and yet still fitted perfectly together:

_**But be careful what you wish for cause you just might get it.  
**__**You just might get it, you just might get it.  
**__**But be careful what you wish for cause you just might get it.  
**__**You just might get it, you just might get it.  
**__**Get it.**_

The auditorium filled with applause and cheering, the sound reaching its maximum possible level without literally raising the roof off the building. Kurt clapped frantically, a proper smile plastered on his face for the first time since he had taken Blaine's hair gel hostage. He was proud of what his friends had just achieved and was almost certain that nothing would be able to beat that.

The girls began to walk offstage his way, as Blaine, Finn, Mike, Sam and Joe all grabbed microphone stands and began to walk on. Mercedes stood in front of Blaine for a second, "Try not to get too emotional out there, okay?"

Blaine just nodded as Artie wheeled past with an acoustic guitar on his lap. They both followed the other 4 out onto the stage, Mercedes now approaching Kurt. Kurt raised an eyebrow, "What was that about?"

Mercedes placed her arm around Kurt's shoulders, "I'm meant to go with the others back to the audience now, but I'm going to stay here with you. You're going to need some support here."

Puck stood the other side of Kurt, smiling slightly, "What you are about to hear could change your mind about everything to do with the situation right now, okay?"

Kurt furrowed his brow as the announcer yelled into his microphone, "Please welcome, from Westerville, Ohio, The Dalton Academy Warblers."

A spotlight fell on each guy standing onstage, each of them standing behind a microphone stand, except for Artie who had a guitar poised in his hands, ready to strum. Kurt raised his eyebrow again when Blaine cleared his throat and began talking, "So erm... Hi. We're from the Dalton Academy Warblers and I would like to dedicate this song to someone who I've hurt real bad and I hope that they will forgive me for what I did. I'm really sorry for hurting you, Kurt. This is for you."

Blaine gave Kurt a brief sideways glance before nodding at Artie to start playing. Kurt knew this song too, and could feel tears prickling in his eyes before the guys had even started to sing. He was going to be a wreck by the end of this he could tell, and was more than grateful to Puck and Mercedes, who were giving him reassuring looks and touches. Finn began singing, his eyes fixated on a spot in the audience, probably on Rachel:

_**Your hand fits in mine, like it's made just for me.  
**__**But bear this in mind, it was meant to be.  
**__**And I'm joining up the dots with the freckles on your cheeks,  
**__**And it all makes sense to me.**_

Sam's eyes darted around the audience and then over towards Kurt, Mercedes and Puck. When he caught a glimpse of Mercedes, he smiled before returning his eyes to the audience and singing in the most heartfelt way Kurt had ever heard him sing:

_**I know you've never loved, the crinkles by your eyes,  
**__**When you smile. You've never loved, your stomach or your thighs,  
**__**The dimples in your back at the bottom of your spine,  
**__**But I'll love them endlessly.**_

All the guys glanced over at Kurt, except for Blaine who looked down at the floor, clearly preparing himself for his solo by keeping emotions in check. Kurt let his tears fall freely, a grin plastered on his face. Puck was right. Blaine was just surprised that Kurt had said those three relationship-changing words. He didn't know how to react to Kurt's words and had a momentary lapse. Kurt shook his head at how stupid he had been for the past 16 hours. Finn, Sam, Mike and Joe all chorused together, taking turns in glancing sideways at Kurt:

_**I won't let these little things slip out of my mouth.  
**__**But if I do, it's you, oh, it's you they add up to.  
**__**I'm in love with you, and all these little things.**_

Blaine took an audible deep and shaky breath in, turning slightly to look at Kurt with a sincere look before turning back to the audience, his soft, passionate tone covering his overemotional state, briefly squeezing his eyes closed to help think about what he was singing and not why he was singing it:

_**You'll never love yourself half as much as I love you.  
**__**You'll never treat yourself right, darling, but I want you to.  
**__**If I let you know I'm here for you.  
**__**Maybe you'll love yourself like I love you, oh.**_

Blaine stole another glance offstage, Kurt's eyes meeting his for the first time since the performance had begun. Both boys had tears glossing over their eyes, desperate to run into each other's arms and apologise for everything. Blaine choked a little on his words as he continued to sing:

_**And I've just let these little things slip out of my mouth.  
**__**Cause it's you, oh, it's you, it's you they add up to.  
**__**And I'm in love with you, and all these little things.**_

The rest of the guys onstage joined in, a perfect blend of harmonies and pitches moulding together to create a dreamy tone to the final chorus:

_**I won't let these little things slip out of my mouth.  
**__**But if it's true, it's you, It's you they add up to.  
**__**I'm in love with you, and all your little things.**_

As the audience applauded louder than they had with Lyrical Explosion, Kurt wriggled out of Mercedes' grasp and ran onstage, almost jumping onto Blaine as he reached him. He could immediately feel Blaine's warm strong arms wind around his waist and his face nuzzled into Kurt's neck. Kurt pulled back slightly to try to speak over the further uproar of applause when he had ran out, but instead Blaine had to lip-read, "I'm sorry for everything."

Kurt also had to lip-read Blaine's response, "I'm the one who should be sorry."

Kurt mouthed, "Never leave me?"

Blaine replied in the same way, "Never want to." He paused as he began to walk into position for the next song, Kurt following to get in position next to him. Blaine turned his head as the noise began to die down and Kurt could just about make out him saying, "I love you, Kurt Elizabeth Hummel."

Kurt grinned widely and began to wipe his happy tears away from his face, "I love you too, Blaine Devon Anderson."

They had a moment to be alone with their thoughts whilst everyone else was shifting into position. They both thought about how stupid they had been when the solution was so simple. Kurt tried his hardest not to laugh at his stupidity, glad that his back was turned from the audience so they couldn't see his smirk, as Artie began to rap:

_**You're a troublemaker, you're a troublemaker.  
**__**You ain't nothing but a troublemaker, girl.**_

Blaine spun around next to Kurt and walked down the stairs to join Artie, pacing and wheeling across the stage together with a complete different atmosphere to their last song; an atmosphere of excitement and energy was now on that stage as Blaine sang with the most enthusiasm he had sung with in a while, causing Kurt's heart to melt slightly at the tone:

_**You had me hooked again from the minute you sat down,  
**__**The way you bite your lip, got my head spinning around.  
**__**After a drink or two, I was putty in your hands.  
**__**I don't know if I have the strength to stand. Oh oh oh.**_

Finn turned on the other side of Kurt and joined the other two at the bottom of the stairs, all three of them travelling across to the other side of the stage. Finn and Blaine's voices blended together as they sang:

_**Trouble troublemaker, yeah, that's your middle name, oh oh oh.  
**__**I know you're no good but you're stuck in my brain, and I wanna know.**_

All the Warblers turned around, as they all sang an 8-part harmony, Kurt finding it difficult to concentrate on his group's harmony as Blaine winked while dancing past:

_**Why does it feel so good but hurt so bad, oh oh oh?  
**__**My mind keeps saying, "Run as fast as you can."  
**__**I say, "I'm done," but then you pull me back, oh oh oh.  
**__**I swear you're giving me a heart attack.  
**__**Troublemaker!**_

Blaine waved Kurt over from the other side of the stage, nodding his head towards the top of the stage steps. Kurt walked towards them, careful not to get in anyone else's way as the performance went on. He met Blaine at the top of the stairs centre stage and raised an eyebrow. He lip-read what Blaine had to say, "Sing the last chorus with me?"

Kurt's mouth fell open almost not registering the performance in the background where Artie and Puck had started rapping:

_**Maybe I'm insane, cause I keep doing the same damn thing.  
**__**Thinking one day we gon change, but you know just how to work that back,  
**__**And make me forget my name, what the hell you do I won't remember.  
**__**I'll be gone until November, and you'll show up again next summer, yeah!**_

Kurt mouthed back, "Are you insane? That's not what we rehearsed! The council will go nuts!"

Blaine grinned, "Screw the council. You need a time to shine and that time is now."

Kurt turned back to look out at the audience, everyone on their feet dancing along to Artie and Puck's rapping:

_**Typical middle name is Prada, fit you like a glove, girl.  
**__**I'm sick of the drama, you're a troublemaker,  
**__**But damn girl it's like I love the trouble, and I can't even explain why.**_

Blaine gave Kurt a sideways glance, hoping that Kurt would respond in some way, but he didn't. Blaine sighed slightly as he began to chorus again with the rest of the Warblers in their harmony. He grinned even wider than before when someone with a higher voice joined in with his part, turning to his boyfriend as they sung together:

_**Why does it feel so good but hurt so bad, oh oh oh?  
**__**My mind keeps saying, "Run as fast as you can."  
**__**Troublemaker, I say, "I'm done," but then you pull me back, oh oh oh.  
**__**I swear you're giving me a heart attack.  
**__**Troublemaker!**_

The applause and cheering was even louder than they had heard it the entire day. All the Warblers were jumping around out of excitement at the bottom of the stairs, overjoyed with their performance. Blaine and Kurt were the calmest people in the entire auditorium as they reached out to take each other's hands and smiled shyly at each other.

The curtains were dropped as the stagehands began to prepare for the award ceremony, which would happen in about 30 minutes as the judges had to deliberate over who deserved to win. Kurt turned around, still holding Blaine's hand and quickly walked down the stairs and off the stage, desperate to find somewhere secluded. They bumped into Mercedes on their search, "You guys were incredible."

Kurt smiled, "Thanks Mercedes." He paused to lick his lips, "You know your own school better than us. Where's somewhere quiet and secluded?"

Blaine raised an eyebrow next to Kurt, causing Mercedes to giggle slightly as she responded, "Under the bleachers either in the gym or out on the football field. It's more difficult to get under the outdoor ones because there's wooden panels filling the gaps but there's a gap in the bottom of the panels somewhere that you could fit through."

Kurt grinned widely, "Thanks. We'll catch up later."

Mercedes yelled after them as Kurt ran off, dragging Blaine behind him, "You've got 25 minutes. I'll cover for you if anyone asks where you guys are."

* * *

Kurt and Blaine ran across the football field in silence, both just concentrating on their footing and searching for a hole in the panels. Blaine pointed when he saw the hole and they continued towards it. Kurt ducked down and crawled through first, Blaine following him instantly. They were now out of sight with only the colourful glowing sunset seeping through the gaps in between the wood panels finding them. Blaine took Kurt's hands in his once more and whispered, "I'm sorry about everything that happened."

Kurt nodded and smiled, a single happy tear escaping his eye, "I love you."

Blaine grinned widely, knowing he wasn't going to make the same mistake again, "I love you too."

Kurt whispered wholeheartedly, still careful not to be found, "You know, what you did out there today. That took so much courage to do that. I mean, Karofsky isn't the only homophobe out there, so that was the most courageous thing I've ever seen."

Blaine began to rub his nose against Kurt's, "I was willing to do whatever it took to make you see that I knew I made the biggest mistake ever." He paused before asking, "So are our fall break plans still happening?"

Kurt chuckled softly, "Are you seriously asking me that? Isn't it obvious that you're coming home with me tonight?"

Blaine also chuckled, a little louder than Kurt had done and abruptly stopped when he realised just how loud he was being, "It's a bit difficult to think at all when we're standing this close and not kissing."

Kurt grinned widely and teased, "Well, you stop thinking entirely when I kiss you and I need you to be coherent for just a minute more."

Blaine's smile faded slightly, "Why?"

Kurt sighed, "Because I'm just worried that because we've said we love each other, you're going to be expecting more. I mean, I'm not gonna let you forget I love you. But I'm just not there yet to be any more intimate than we already have been. Making out is as far as it goes for now. Is that okay or would you rather find someone who will be more intimate?"

Blaine rubbed his nose against Kurt's again, "Don't worry. We won't get any more intimate than making out. I get you're not ready, Kurt. I can tell you're not ready because you tense up slightly whenever I hold your hips whilst we do make out, and I only do that because it makes me feel closer to you. It's not because I want anything more from you, because if I'm going to be honest, I'm not there either. Right now, I'm just looking for an emotional connection with the guy I'm in love with. Right now, I only want your heart."

Kurt smiled, "Thank you for understanding."

Blaine replied sincerely, "No, thank you for talking to me about your worries."

Kurt closed the gap between their lips, not even hesitating to fill the kiss with love and desire and happiness, with a sense of urgency within the kiss as they knew this moment would have to end and they would have to return to the auditorium in a few minutes. Blaine only deepened the kiss when a small hum of bliss escaped from Kurt's throat, both of them completely absorbed in what they were doing, as if the rest of the world didn't matter anymore.

The only thing that stopped them was when Kurt's phone beeped loudly. He pulled away with an annoyed growl. He slid it out of his pocket and opened the text:

_**From: Mercedes Jones :)**_

_It's been 20 minutes. Please tell me you guys are on your way back here - Mercedes x_

Kurt rested his forehead against Blaine's, sighing in disappointment, "We have to get back."

Blaine nodded, "Okay." He paused before grinning widely, "I love you."

Kurt mirrored Blaine's smile, "I love you too. I love you so much. I shouldn't have doubted you for a second."

Blaine released Kurt from his grasp and laced his fingers in between his boyfriend's, "You had every reason to. But now everything's out in the open, I'm going to remind you at every opportunity I get."

Kurt chuckled lightly as Blaine led him out from under the bleachers and back towards the auditorium, knowing that an endless string of 'I love you's were as imminent as a blizzard of kisses. He was ecstatic that everything had worked out and that everything was moving forward, because even though the future's unknown, Kurt knew that Blaine was going to be a part of it for many moments to come, or maybe even forever. Kurt knew forever wasn't a promise he was willing to make with someone who he had just admitted his love to, but he hoped that forever would be a promise they would make at some point in the many years to come.

* * *

Kurt stood with Blaine and the rest of the Warblers onstage, one arm around Puck and the other around Finn, as they nervously awaited the results. He spotted Blaine, who was standing towards the front of the group whilst Kurt was near the back, ringing his hands together anxiously. It took a minute for Rod Remington to appear from backstage with some random unsuccessful actor in tow. As he walked across the stage towards the trophy table, every Warbler looked around at each other, with everyone's eyes filled with hope and pride for their performance.

Rod announced, "Firstly, I would like to thank our show choirs for giving us an afternoon filled with entertainment, excitement and emotion. It has proven difficult to make a decision for this competition, but we have come to a decision." He was handed an envelope with 'second place' embossed onto it in golden letters, "In second place..." He paused for dramatic effect, "From West Lima High, it's Lyrical Explosion."

The crowd applauded and the Warblers all looked around at each other excited, David leaning back and saying to Kurt, Finn, Puck and anyone else who was able to hear, "We've got this in the bag, guys."

Kurt nodded in response, but was too busy glancing over at his friends across the stage, who looked disappointed but accepted their second place trophy graciously. Mercedes looked over at him and gave him a weak smile. Kurt responded by pursing his lips before she walked offstage with the rest of Lyrical Explosion. The tension was now building even more. Kurt knew that they had performed better than The Singing Charms, but did the judges have the same opinion?

Rod was handed the 'first place' envelope by the unsuccessful actor. He opened the envelope as slow as a snail, building up everyone's anxiety further. Rod cleared his throat as he slipped the paper out of the envelope, "In first place, and earning a spot at Regionals, is..." Kurt squeezed his eyes shut as the suspense began to make him feel a little annoyed. He took a deep breath in when he heard Rod clear his throat once more. Rod continued, "From Dalton Academy, The Warblers."

Kurt, along with all the Warblers, began to cheer and jump up and down in excitement. Finn ruffled Kurt's hair, much to his annoyance. Puck was shouting in his ear. Everything was so loud and quick that Kurt almost forgot to breathe.

Finn and Puck had jumped away to celebrate with other members of their glee club when Blaine ran up the stairs to hug him. Kurt almost fell over backwards as he did not brace himself for the force at which Blaine wrapped his arms around him. Blaine grinned widely at him, "We're going to Regionals!"

Kurt squealed in response, "I know! I'm so happy!" Blaine's smile faded as he tiptoed up so his face was level with Kurt's, causing Kurt to gulp audibly above the surrounding yells of joy, "Blaine, not now. Not in front of all these people. Homophobia is a bitch and Lima is filled with it."

Blaine nodded and stood normally again, "Can we grab the trophy and get off the stage then?"

They ran down the stairs and towards the trophy as Wes and Thad lifted it, causing the audience and the Warblers to cheer louder than they were before. Kurt leant to was Blaine and said loudly in his ear, "I don't think anyone will notice if we walk offstage right now."

Blaine grinned widely as Kurt lead him off the stage and away from the wing so no one in the audience could see them.

Blaine turned to Kurt, noticing Kurt's messed-up hair for the first time, "Your hair. It's-"

Kurt sighed, "Blame Finn. He did it."

Blaine chuckled, "I want to thank him actually. You've reached a whole new level of gorgeousness. If I'm having to do a whole day of fall break without my hair gel, you have to do the same without any hairspray."

Kurt giggled slightly, "Okay fine, but we are staying in and watching movies all day that day."

Blaine smiled wider, "A day cuddling with you on the couch? Deal."

Kurt wound his arms around Blaine, his breath hitching at the idea of kissing Blaine. His eyes fluttered as he whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Let fall break be the best week of our lives."

Blaine nodded happily, "It will be."

They let their lips meet the other's, a soft, loving kiss making them both feel warm inside as they shared the moment.

Winning Sectionals. Admission of love. Fall break. There was nothing but hope, promise and love in the air, and neither boy wanted that to change anytime soon, especially after everything that had happened to them over the past couple of days.

Everything was perfect now. Everything felt so right.

* * *

_Dear Journal,_

_I'm writing from backstage at Sectionals so I'm going to make this entry very brief._

_Kurt and I made up and made out and everything is great between us, in fact better than before._

_Oh and also... WE'RE GOING TO REGIONALS!_

_I'm done for now. Gotta go celebrate with the Warblers and then to Kurt's to let fall break really begin_

_- Blaine_

* * *

_Dear Journal,_

_He loves me too. I doubted him but he really does love me. It just took 'Little Things' to make me see that. I'm so happy right now with our newfound love that I'm almost in tears right now._

_One last thing. DALTON ACADEMY WARBLERS WON! Regionals here we come._

_I need to go now because Puck and Sam are challenging each other to ridiculous dares and no one else seems to be stopping them. __The sooner everyone calms down, the sooner we all go our separate ways for fall break. I'll see the McKinley boys during the week and obviously I'll see Blaine. Can't wait to let the best week of my life begin. Why won't it begin already?_

_- Kurt_

* * *

**A/N: **So there we go. Chapter 8. Hope you enjoyed it :) PLEASE REVIEW!

I'm off on a college trip to the Isle of Wight on Monday, back on Wednesday, so I will be on a writing hiatus for the two days I am fully away :/ It properly sucks :/ Oh well, life goes on! I'll continue to write as soon as I walk through my front door :D


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Hey readers! Here's chapter 9! Wow, sorry it took so long! I've been revising for exams and stuff - it's been bad times! One song in this chapter, and I think a lot of you will know it to be honest: Not Alone (take a guess at who it will sing it) by Darren Criss - /watch?v=5OJCCl5vOqg (add to YouTube URL if you don't know it). Oh yeah, by the way, this chapter is gratuitously fluffy but I just couldn't help myself; I hope you guys like fluff. So yeah, hope you enjoy this chapter and, once again, sorry for the wait! PLEASE REVIEW! ENJOY! :)

* * *

Kurt and Blaine walked hand in hand down the road, wheeling their suitcases behind them, with Finn and Rachel following close behind. They were all heading to the Hummel-Hudson's household to settle in and to have a celebratory dinner for their win at Sectionals.

Rachel was whining on about how Lyrical Explosion deserved to win and that the Warblers had only won because of the emotional back story to one of their songs. All three boys repeatedly rolled their eyes as she ranted on and on.

Eventually, Kurt decided to leave Rachel be as she began to say, "I know that it helped to rekindle your relationship but that doesn't mean the judges should have..."

Kurt asked Blaine, "You nervous about meeting my parents outside of work?"

Blaine's grip on Kurt's hand tightened as he gulped, "If I'm going to be honest then yes. Very. What do I need to avoid saying or doing?"

Kurt chuckled at Blaine's anxiety, "Well, to start with you need to be yourself and at the moment you aren't. Where's the confident Blaine I know and love?"

Blaine let out a guffaw, "If I was confident, I would have told you I loved you from the moment I knew."

Kurt shook his head in disbelief, "You're more confident than you realise, honey."

"Let's agree to disagree. What else do I need to do whilst staying at yours?"

Kurt hummed as he thought about it, speaking slowly as his train of thought flickered between several rules his father had set, "Okay, don't break up with me whilst we're here; my dad will shoot you. Make sure you keep everything tidy; if you don't, Carole and I will shoot you. Keep heavy petting to a minimum whilst we're around other people; I'm certain that my parents don't want to see us making out and will shoot us. And just stick to any rules that my dad mentions during your stay or he will shoot you."

Blaine replied to each statement, "I'm never going to break up with you. I keep everything tidy at school because of your tidiness rule, so this is no different anyway. So that means we'll spend a lot of time in your room. And I will make sure to obey your father's rules."

Kurt stopped outside his house, simpering at Blaine, "Does that mean you're ready?"

Blaine nodded as they both started up the driveway and onto the garden path, "As ready as I'm ever going to be."

Kurt fumbled with his keys in the door and chuckled slightly, "You'll be fine. You know Carole loves you and if my dad doesn't, well, that's his problem, not yours. It won't change my mind about anything."

Blaine grinned as the door opened, "You always know the right thing to say."

Kurt stepped inside without a word, but a small smile did curve onto his lips. Blaine followed close behind, closing the door over but leaving it ajar so when Finn and Rachel caught up they could just walk straight into the house. Kurt called down the hallway, "Dad, Carole, I'm home."

Carole ran down the hallway a couple of seconds later, flour all over her apron as she attempted to hug Kurt, but she got stopped by him taking a step back, "Carole, school uniform, flour, no."

Carole's eyes filled with warmth as she heard her stepson fussing over his clothes for the millionth time since she had moved in with him and Burt, "Sorry, honey. Making the batter for the chicken from scratch for our special congratulations dinner."

Kurt protested, "Stop that! There's no need for homemade batter!"

Blaine butted in with a comment, "I think what Kurt is trying to say is that you didn't have to go through all that trouble for us."

Kurt glanced over at Blaine before nodding. Carole smiled at Blaine, "I could tell you were a lovely boy during your hospital visits and you've just proved me right."

Blaine smiled bashfully, "Oh stop you."

Kurt chuckled at the pair of them as they began to bond over the smallest of things. He began to wheel his bag down the corridor and opened his bedroom door, "I'm going to go sort out my things. Blaine, you coming or staying up here with Carole?"

Blaine took a moment to think, but as soon as he heard the front door creak behind him and Rachel's voice echoing into the house as she listed how the Warblers could have improved their performance, he decided to go with Kurt, nodding at Carole as he passed.

* * *

Kurt lead the way down the stairs and into his room, flicking the light switch on at the bottom of the staircase. Blaine slowly walked down behind him, taking a minute to allow himself to adjust to the light change. Whilst the ground floor was all autumnal colours, Kurt's basement room was pale and white, with purples, reds and pinks covering the bed and his sofa, the carpet rug a deep shade of maroon. Blaine grinned at the pristine surroundings Kurt had created for himself. Everything was placed perfectly, with no sign of the usual mess that accompanied a teenaged boy's room.

Blaine set his bag down next to Kurt's, who was now flicking through his large, trendily curved, white wardrobe, trying to decide on an outfit for the evening. Blaine didn't say anything as he knew that Kurt was deep in thought now. He decided to scope the room out a little more, see what other features Kurt's room had that would reflect his personality. Blaine walked over to the bedside table, scanning through each picture frame set down there. One photo in particular caught his eye. He recognised the face so well because he saw it in the mirror every day. Kurt had a picture of him by his bed, and it wasn't just from any old day either.

In the background of the photo was their Dalton room, a little messier in comparison to the room he was in now and certainly a lot less fashionable. Blaine ran his eyes down the photo, taking in the familiar outfit he was frozen in in the picture with a goofy smile on his face. Black polo shirt; orange capri pants; yellow belt; a matching yellow bowtie; pink raybans tucked into his shirt pocket; his black Sperry boat shoes; this was from the party at the beginning of the semester. It was the day they began to call each other 'boyfriend'.

Blaine broke the silence, perching on the edge of Kurt's bed as he continued to stare at the photograph, "Kurt?" Kurt replied with a hum to show he was paying attention. Blaine continued, "How long have you had a picture of me by your bed?"

Kurt replied nonchalantly, still flicking through his wardrobe, "Since the Friday after the party."

Blaine grinned widely at the sentiment. The thought that the photo had been put there as soon as Kurt could spoke volumes to Blaine. It told him that he really did mean something to Kurt even long before the situation they were in now. Kurt cared about him a lot. He had had his doubts as to how much he cared until the evening before when Kurt admitted his love, but now he took the scepticism back. Kurt had always cared at this level since the beginning, and Blaine wondered why it took until that moment to realise that he had cared this much all this time.

Blaine spoke up again, "I know you're a bit preoccupied choosing an outfit from your endless range of attractive clothes but can you just come here a minute?"

That caused Kurt to turn on his heel and walk over to Blaine, sitting down next to his boyfriend without so much as a break from his usual graceful motions. Kurt asked anxiously, "What's wrong?"

Blaine smiled back, "Nothing's wrong. I just need a moment with you right now, okay? I mean it's not everyday that you find out your boyfriend misses you enough to have a photo by his bed."

Kurt responded earnestly, "You became a huge part of my life very quickly, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. But the emptiness that I sometimes feel when I'm here for the weekends without you is just too much to handle. That photo is a reminder of how I will be going back to you for the coming week. That photo helps me to get through the weekend when you're having fun with your friends and not texting back. That photo helps me when you're studying or sleeping or something and can't answer the phone. That photo reminds me that even though you're busy sometimes, you are my boyfriend and as soon as I return to you, I can continue to make memories with you."

Blaine slid his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it, immediately navigating to his photo application. He searched for the photo he had taken of Kurt a couple of weeks back when he was fast asleep and hugging his journal. Kurt's eyes widened at the photo, "When did you take that?"

Blaine smirked slightly, "The evening after your Warblers audition. Over the weekends, I sometimes open this photo and lay it on the pillow next to me because I miss you so much and I miss looking over at you whilst you sleep, looking peaceful and dreamy. You have no idea how much this week means to me. This week is saving me from a week of moping around because you wouldn't be there with me. This means so much."

Kurt leant towards his boyfriend, a grin plastered on his face. He touched his forehead against Blaine's, taking a deep breath in to catch his musky scent; a scent which he couldn't quite place and so had decided it was unique to Blaine. He closed his eyes and memorised this moment, desperate for it to last forever. He whispered gently, his breath ghosting against Blaine's lips, "I love you more than you'll ever understand."

Blaine smiled, "Well, I'll love you forever and a day." He tilted his head slightly, preparing to kiss his boyfriend, "If kisses were snowflakes, I'd give you a blizzard."

Kurt responded softly, giggling slightly as he did, "Just kiss me, you dork!"

Blaine smiled into the kiss, deciding it was impossible not to be happy no matter what life were to throw at him right now. Kurt raised his hand to his boyfriend's cheek, gently caressing it as their lips moved together. Everything felt so right in that moment, the perfect synchronisation of their lips made everything seem perfect. It was like they were soul-mates who took 17 years to find each other. It was like their lips were made to kiss the other boy. It was like they were brought to the Earth to love each other, no matter what would happen. It was the most magical moment of their lives; the moment they realised that they could be kissing their soul-mate.

Heavy clunks of work boots echoed down the staircase, causing Kurt to pull away, giving Blaine an apologetic glance before dropping his hand to around Blaine's waist and pulling him into a hug. Kurt knew that his father wouldn't be as mad as if he had caught them kissing. He placed a light kiss against his boyfriend's neck before taking a deep breath in to capture Blaine's scent once more. He was going to need the calming effect it had in order to keep his nerves in check. Kurt was nervous about his father and boyfriend finally meeting. What if they didn't get along? What if Burt forbid them from dating? What if they didn't make an effort to get to know each other? Blaine and Burt were the two most important people to Kurt, and he couldn't stand for anything going wrong this week.

Burt reached the bottom of the stairs and cleared his throat, "I heard you guys won Sectionals. Good job, bud."

Kurt rolled his eyes. He knew that his father was trying to ignore the fact that his son was alone in his bedroom, his arms around the boy he loved even if his father had no idea that was the case. Kurt replied, releasing Blaine from his embrace, "Hello to you too, Dad."

Burt hesitated as his eyes darted between Kurt and Blaine. He slowly advanced over to the two teenagers, extending his hand out in front of Blaine, "Nice to meet you, Blaine. I'm Burt. Kurt's told me nothing but great things about you."

Blaine stood up and shook Burt's hand, "Thank you, Mr. Hummel, for letting me spend the week in your lovely home."

Burt smirked a little, "Call me Burt, kiddo. And trust me, it's nothing." He turned to Kurt, who was now standing too, and pulled his son into a hug, "I've missed you, Kurt."

Kurt chuckled as he patted his father on the back, "Dad, it's only been 5 days. We go through this every week."

Burt replied, "I know, but it's not easy having your son and stepson leave when you've spent the whole summer putting up with them."

Kurt grinned as he struggled out of his father's grip, "You'll be sick of us by the end of this week. Trust me."

Burt gave his son a light pat on the shoulder before walking towards the stairs. As he took a step up and turned back to the two boys, "Oh, and one more thing. I'm not completely stupid. I know what you two were doing before I came down. Don't think I don't know how a teenage relationship works."

As Burt walked up the stairs, Kurt began to blush furiously. Blaine chuckled as he fell back onto the bed behind him, "Kurt, you're blushing."

Kurt turned and raised an eyebrow at his boyfriend, "How are you so calm about the fact my dad knows we were borderline making out?"

Blaine shrugged. "Think I'm too high on your kisses to care."

Kurt knelt on the bed beside Blaine and swooped down to steal a quick peck on the lips, "I think we should lay off the kissing for a while then. Drugs aren't good for you."

Blaine sat up. quick enough to give himself whiplash, so his eyes were level with Kurt's. He furrowed his brow, "Never even joke about that again."

Kurt laughed loudly and placed another kiss onto Blaine's lips, quick but caring. He sighed against his boyfriend's lips, "What a perfect way to begin a perfect week."

Blaine smiled coyly, rubbing his nose against Kurt's, "No matter what happens this week, it won't matter to me, because I get to share every moment with my perfect boyfriend."

Kurt replied teasingly, "So there's someone else? I knew this was too good to be true."

Blaine slowed down rubbing noses, the movement barely noticeable but still felt as electricity sparked between him and his boyfriend, "There will never be anyone else."

Kurt pressed his lips against Blaine's once more, this time letting the kiss linger as he savoured the moment. His mind was consumed with one thought: _there will never be anyone else_. Kurt didn't know the extent of that statement, but he just hoped that Blaine meant forever, even if neither boy was ready to promise forever. But they were working on it.

* * *

"Kurt, we're out of potatoes and carrots! Can you run to the store and get some? Finn and Burt are busy!"

Kurt shook his head at the shopping list Carole had just verbally created for him. He yelled back up the stairs, "Can I wait til Blaine's dressed so he can come with?"

Carole replied loudly, "Sure, honey. Just make sure he doesn't take too long."

Kurt sighed as he walked over to his bathroom door. He rapped his knuckles against it, waiting for some kind of acknowledgement from Blaine. A second later, he heard through the door, "I'm not dressed yet, Kurt. I'll bring the hairspray out with me when I'm ready."

Kurt chuckled softly as he responded, "Actually, we need to go to the 7/11. Carole needs some ingredients for dinner tonight."

Blaine retorted, "Do _we_ have to go?"

Kurt rested his forehead against the door, slowly losing his patience with his boyfriend, "Dad's busy with the paperwork he brought home and I'm assuming that Finn and Rachel are making out or something."

Kurt could tell that Blaine was smiling cheekily as he responded slyly, "But if we stay, we could make out too. That sounds much more fun."

Kurt let out a loud giggle, trying desperately to stand his ground, "Baby, we just spent the last 20 minutes making out. And as fun as that is, everyone's dinner depends on us. You know how Finn is when he doesn't get to eat."

Blaine sighed in defeat, "Okay fine. But I want to cuddle after dinner."

Kurt smiled, "Not really a compromise. I was hoping we'd do that anyway."

Kurt almost fell forward as the door was opened. His boyfriend caught him and chuckled softly, "You could have told me you were leaning against the door."

Kurt replied in the same tone, "You could have told me you were coming out."

Blaine raised an eyebrow, "I already came out, before I even laid eyes on you." Kurt also raised his eyebrow, causing his boyfriend to elaborate, "That was a closet joke."

Kurt shook his head as he fully regained balance on his feet, "It's not a joke if you have to explain it."

Blaine shrugged as he walked over to one of his bags, unzipping it and rummaging through its contents. Kurt bit his lip as he took in the dark denim jeans, the white polo shirt, the red bow tie, the sleek hair, the muscles, his boyfriend's face. Everything about the boy made Kurt's stomach fill with butterflies, and it didn't help that Blaine had just pulled a leather jacket out from his suitcase and shimmied it on. Kurt stood there, gaping at the sight before him. Leather. Blaine looked good in leather. Was there anything he didn't look good in?

Blaine asked, confused, "What's wrong? Is there something on my shirt?"

Kurt shook his head, snapping out of his trance, "Huh? Oh, no. No. You just... Can you please stop looking gorgeous? You're driving me crazy."

Blaine smirked, closing his bag, "And you don't think that I'm trying not to jump on you right now, what with your skin-tight jeans?"

Kurt laughed as he began to lead the way up the stairs, swaying his hips gently as he knew Blaine's hormonal state would send him over the edge. They walked in silence up the stairs, leaving each other to calm down for a minute before they got carried away and forgot all about the store.

Kurt walked over to his dad, who was working on his paperwork on the desk in the corner of the living room. He tapped his dad on the shoulder, waiting for the man to turn around before murmuring, "Blaine and I are going to the store. Anything you need?"

Burt nodded, "Could you pick up some band-aids? Ran out in the tire shops's first aid kit."

"Sure thing, Dad."

* * *

The car journey to the store was silent at first, but the silence was far from awkward. Kurt sat in the driver's seat, concentrating on the road with Blaine's hand gently resting on his knee, occasionally giving his leg a soft, loving squeeze. Eventually, Kurt broke the silence, muttering softly to still keep the peaceful atmosphere, "I love you."

Kurt could see Blaine smile out of the corner of his eye, "I love you too." Blaine thought for a few seconds before asking, "What did I do to deserve that?"

Kurt smiled, his eyes still on the road, "I was just reminding you."

Blaine's smile widened as he felt nothing else was needed to be said. The hum of the engine was the only sound to be heard, until Kurt's phone beeped in his pocket. He sighed, "Honey, could you get that out of my pocket and check it's not Finn asking for donuts or something?"

Blaine raised an eyebrow, "You really think I'm gonna be able to fit my hand in there?"

Kurt chuckled lightly, "I know it might be a tight fit but just do it, Blaine."

Blaine slid his hand up Kurt's leg and slowly slid his fingers into his boyfriend's pocket, pinching the corner of the phone. He tried to slip the phone out but couldn't do it, especially when Kurt wouldn't stop giggling in his ear, "What's so funny?"

"It tickles."

"Do you want me to stop or-"

Kurt shook his head and bit his lip. Blaine slid it out of Kurt's pocket and read the text aloud to Kurt:

_**From: Mercedes Jones :)**_

_Hey, my boy. Party at Puckerman's tomorrow evening. You and the boyfriend in or what? - Mercedes x_

Blaine raised an eyebrow, "My boy?"

Kurt smirked in response as they stopped at their third red light of the journey, "Someone's jealous."

Blaine replied, a little annoyed, "You know what? I am. You should belong to me and only me."

Kurt chuckled loudly, turning to look at his boyfriend, "Have you heard yourself?" Blaine grimaced and shook his head, causing Kurt to continue talking, "Mercedes is a girl," He reached across and took Blaine's hand, "and even if she was a guy, I still would be with you because I fell in love from the moment I lay eyes on you." His eyes widened at the realisation of what he just said, "I mean... I fell in love with the idea of you and I-I-I- Who am I kidding?" He turned back to the wheel and began to drive as the light turned green. Blaine stared at him but said nothing, his jaw dropped into a gape. Kurt sighed in defeat, "Please say something, sweetie."

Blaine shook his head to regain composure, "Kurt, I had no idea." There was a moment of silence, the first awkward silence on the car journey. Blaine broke through the silence with a murmur, "If you weren't driving right now, I would be kissing you."

Kurt smiled a little, still uneasy about what he had admitted, "Really? Because I wouldn't kiss me after that."

Blaine chuckled, changing the subject for now, but knowing he would return to this topic later, "Do you want me to text her back saying we're gonna go?"

Kurt nodded, "Only if you want to go, honey." Blaine nodded slightly in response causing Kurt to continue speaking, "Type this out for me:"

_**To: Mercedes Jones :)**_

_Hey fabulous. I'm actually out right now so I can't check with my dad and Carole, but if Finn is going then I'm sure we'll be allowed too. I'll let you know. And yes, my beautiful boyfriend will be coming along too - K x_

_P.S Blaine is the awesomest person in the world and I love him to pieces_

Blaine read it out to Kurt after he sent it. Kurt rolled his eyes, "I can't believe you put that last part."

Blaine grinned, "I can't believe you told me to write _'my beautiful boyfriend'_."

Kurt shrugged as they pulled into the supermarket car park, "Can't deny the truth."

Blaine got out of the car without another word, walking around the car to meet Kurt, immediately taking his hand. Kurt blushed slightly, speaking in a soft tone as they began to advance across the parking lot, "Honey, I'm not sure it's wise to hold hands. I know a few of the Neanderthals who work here and they will not hesitate in bullying you to no end. I'd rather you didn't get involved with them."

Blaine tightened his grip instead of releasing Kurt and began to swing their arms playfully, "If they bully us, they will wish they didn't. Alright?" Kurt nodded and grinned at the way in which his boyfriend was swinging their arms between them as they walked. Blaine continued, "Besides, I don't want to get lost in there, and I know you don't want to lose me in there."

Kurt stopped their arms from swinging and kissed Blaine across the knuckles, "I don't want to ever lose you, Blaine. I want to be yours forever."

Blaine stopped walking as they reached the building, happy they were a few metres from the door. Kurt looked back as he felt his arm being tugged, and within seconds had his chest pressed against his boyfriend's. He sighed at the contact, forgetting where they were and relaxed completely. Kurt asked quietly, "Sweetie, what are you doing?"

Blaine grinned, "You know how I sang 'Can I Have A Kiss' without realising you were listening?" Kurt nodded, signalling for Blaine to continue, "And you know it says 'I can't promise forever, but I'm working on it.'?" Kurt frowned slightly, causing Blaine to cup his face with his free hand, "It's not that we won't have forever, okay? I just have a few things to sort out before I can promise it. It's nothing to do with you. I do want forever with you, and I reckon by the time Christmas rolls around, I will be able to promise it, okay?"

Kurt's lips twitched into a small smile, "I get it. You have your dad to deal with and we're young. I-"

He was interrupted by Blaine's lips on his own. Blaine released the kiss and whispered, "I love you. There will never be anyone else. I mean that. It's only you. You're the one for me. I just need to... My dad... He doesn't understand yet that this isn't a phase, and it doesn't help that he grew up in a homophobic family. Nan and Pa would roll over in their graves if they knew I was gay. I just need you to underst-"

Kurt interrupted him with another quick kiss before smiling and placing a finger to Blaine's lips, "I understand. I know it will take time, but we'll get through it all." There was a brief pause as they both stared into each other's eyes for a moment, Kurt dropping his hand to lace his fingers between Blaine's once more, "You're the only one for me too."

Blaine grinned, as he turned and tugged at Kurt's hand, heading for the door of the store, "Come on. Finn's probably complaining about dinner as we speak." The automatic doors opened, and Blaine couldn't help but kiss his boyfriend on the cheek before they walked in, "I love you."

Kurt breathed out as they took a step inside, "I love you too."

* * *

Kurt and Blaine stood in line at one of the two only open cash registers; it was a nightmare considering that everyone was trying to get in their weekend grocery shop after work. Blaine stood behind Kurt, arms folded around Kurt's waist, his nose nuzzling at the nape of Kurt's neck. Kurt rested his hand on top of Blaine's interlocked ones around his waist, not even trying to hold back his smile as he enjoyed the feeling of closeness between him and Blaine in that moment. They were getting disapproving looks from many of the people in the store as they stood that close together, but Kurt couldn't find the capacity to care as he leant back further into Blaine's embrace.

They moved forward in the line and Kurt unhooked Blaine's arms from around him because they were next to pay. Blaine muttered under his breath, "Spoil sport."

That caused Kurt to chuckle slightly as he received a disapproving look from his boyfriend. He shook his head, "Sorry honey."

Blaine slipped his wallet out of his pocket, "It's not like I could pay if I was hugging you anyway."

Kurt snatched Blaine's wallet out of his hand and retrieved his own, "Blaine Devon Anderson! You are not paying for anything this week. I'm treating you this week, no matter what."

Blaine rolled his eyes, "Baby, it's $12. And anyway, I want to contribute to this week as a thank you for letting me stay with you."

Kurt pocketed Blaine's wallet into his boyfriend's jacket and smiled, "Agreeing to stay with me with Finn constantly raiding the fridge, my dad constantly hogging the TV and Carole constantly doing chores is thanks enough."

They moved forward in the line as the elderly couple ahead of them thanked the member of staff behind the register. Kurt froze when he saw who was behind the register. His muscles tensed as Santana smirked at them, her ponytail swishing as she gently shook her head, "Oh don't worry, Hummel. I can't bitch-slap you with my honesty here." She began to scan the items on the conveyor belt: band aids, potatoes, carrots and some cupcakes that Blaine insisted on buying to share for when they had some alone time together later that evening. Santana spoke as she scanned the items, Blaine placing everything into a paper bag as Kurt just stared at Santana, confused, "If you're wondering how long I've been working here for, since the start of the semester. I have to fill the car with gas more often because West Lima High is on the other side of town from Lima Heights, and my parents only pay for half now. That's why I'm here."

Kurt's lip twitched into a smile, "Honestly Santana, I think it's a good thing that you are starting to take some responsibility financially."

Santana gave him a slightly dirty look, but Kurt could notice the glint of appreciation in her eyes, "That will be $11.83 please." As Kurt handed her the money and waited for the change, she continued, "Are you and the hobbit coming to Puck's party tomorrow?"

Blaine spoke up, "That's the plan, assuming Mr Hummel hasn't locked me up in the dungeon for breaking a house rule."

Kurt chuckled at his boyfriend, shaking his head at the fact that he thinks his dad will genuinely punish him if he steps out of line. He knows his father; he's just playing the scary father to make sure that Blaine won't try to bend the rules at all and respect what happens under the Hummel-Hudson roof. Santana's lips twitched into her signature smirk, "Well, I guess I'll be seeing you there, Hummel." She turned on her stool to Blaine as he picked up the paper bag, "You too, dwarf, assuming I can find you in amongst the party of normal sized human beings."

Kurt nodded his goodbye to Santana and hurried off behind Blaine, catching up to link his arm with Blaine's free one. Kurt flinched when he heard Santana call, "By the way, Hummel, you two are a ridiculously adorable couple. I'm happy for you. Now, go home and tap that ass."

Kurt blushed bright red as they continued walking arm in arm, laughing the entire way out the store until the gentle fall breeze hit him, when he began to calm down from his hysteria due to the air's soothing effects. He took a deep breath in and glanced down at Blaine, who was smiling up at him, "Sorry about Santana. She's a bit brutal and over-the-top."

Blaine leant his head into Kurt's shoulder, distracted by his own thoughts, "We are an adorable couple, aren't we?"

Kurt smiled and rested his head on top of Blaine's as they kept walking across the parking lot, "Everyone seems to think so."

"Kurt."

"Yeah?"

"Always be my adorable boyfriend?"

Kurt kissed the top of Blaine's head to reassure him, "As long as you will always be mine."

* * *

Dinner was not what Kurt was used to. Normally, he would sit down with his dad, Carole and Finn to discuss their week at school and how things have been here in Lima. This Friday dinner was silent.

Kurt's eyes darted around between everyone around the table: Blaine, Carole, Finn, Rachel and his dad, wondering why there was none of the usual chitchat. Tensions were running high between Rachel and the boys considering she was sulking at losing and then having to sit at the same table as her winning rivals. Kurt could also feel the tension between his dad and Blaine but was unsure of how to fix that.

Carole broke the eerie silence, much to Kurt's relief, "So Blaine, tell me a bit about yourself. What do you enjoy doing?"

Blaine's shoulders visibly relaxed, Kurt's mouth twitching a little as the tension dispersed a little. He was even more comforted when Blaine replied animatedly, as if he wanted to talk but just didn't know how to start a conversation, "Well, quite honestly, I have similar interests to Kurt, although maybe I don't take fashion anywhere near as seriously as he does. I like singing, and I really like being in Glee club." He hesitated a little before he continued to speak, "I also like football... Not playing it, I wouldn't survive." That caused Burt to smile a little and Kurt's eyes to flicker over at his dad in hope that they can connect through their love of football, or any sport for that matter. Blaine didn't notice the silent father-son interaction as he continued, "I like watching it. Basketball and ice hockey too. And when it's basketball season, I used to play in middle school. I might consider trying out later in the semester actually."

Kurt turned his head to smile at Blaine, "I'll be at every game cheering you on."

Finn cleared his throat, "What about me? Won't you be cheering me on?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and let out a heavy sigh, "Sure, Finn. Why not?"

Both Blaine and Kurt jumped a little in their seats as Burt coughed before speaking, "What about cars?"

"Well, my dad and I rebuilt my brother's current car the summer before he left for Japan, but it didn't really appeal to me." Blaine looked down at his plate nervously, prodding his food as he realised that Mr. Hummel's career consisted of fixing cars. He just lost brownie points there.

Burt nodded, "Okay. That's fair enough. At least you gave it a go."

Kurt gave Blaine an encouraging smile, "Okay, I have something to break the ice. We'll go around the table and say the best thing that's ever happened to us. Carole, why don't you start?"

Carole stuttered, a little flustered by how the conversation had turned to her, "I guess having Finn was the best thing that's ever happened to me." She beamed at her son, "What about you, honey?"

Finn smiled his half-smirk as he replied, "Landing quarterback in freshman year. It's near impossible and yet I achieved it." He turned to his girlfriend, "Rachel?"

She smiled as she looked around the table, "Winning my first ballet competition aged 5, where I was told by the judges that I had potential to become one of the greatest stars Broadway will see in our generation. Burt?"

Burt wiped his mouth and tossed his napkin onto his empty plate, "Meeting Kurt's mum. Without meeting her, I would never have had an incredible son, or have any of you sitting with me." He turned his head a little to glance at Blaine, "How about you, kiddo?"

Blaine grinned. The answer was easy for him. He didn't even need to think about the answer as he replied, "Kurt. Kurt is the best thing that has ever happened to me." He turned to Kurt who was looking at him wide-eyed, mouth hanging open, "What about you, babe?"

Kurt shook his head to regain composure and took Blaine's hand under the table, stroking his thumb across his boyfriend's knuckles, a weak smile playing on his lips as he softly responded, "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me too."

Blaine leant in to kiss Kurt, but before their lips could meet, Burt cleared his throat, evil eyes boring into the sides of their heads, "Not at the dinner table."

Carole spoke up, tears of joy welling up in her eyes, "Burt, let them. I think I understand what's going on here. Just let them."

Burt huffed and stood up, "Well, I'm going to go watch some basketball. Anyone else?"

Finn and Rachel stood up, his stepson responding, "Actually, I need to get Rachel home, but maybe when I get back."

Carole began to stack plates and pile up cutlery, "The dishwasher won't fill itself so I'll deal with that."

Within a few seconds, everyone else had left the room, leaving Kurt and Blaine in the silence of the dining room, only cheering from the TV and clattering of the dishes filling the air. Before Kurt could even worry about his dad's reaction, Blaine's lips were on his, smoothly and slowly creating a rhythm as they breathed in each other's scent, Blaine's murkiness and Kurt's sweetness calming them. Blaine pulled away, having taken control of the kiss in the first place, "Kurt, I-"

Kurt interrupted with a smile, "I'm sorry about my dad. He's just not used to this yet."

Blaine nodded, resting his forehead against Kurt's, "He'll adjust." He let out a sigh, and then grinned cheekily, "Cupcakes?"

Kurt chuckled and stood up, extending his hand out for Blaine to take, "You're worse than Finn." Blaine pouted, causing Kurt to chuckle a little more, "Come on. I took them downstairs."

* * *

Kurt picked up the cupcake wrappers from the bedside table, desperately trying to keep his bedroom tidy. Blaine watched him with a huff of amusement, his guitar resting on his lap as he strummed aimlessly at the strings. Kurt picked up his trash bin and shook it, "Blaine, this is a bin. Can you use it please?"

Blaine smiled innocently, "I'm sorry. It won't happen again." He paused to strum his guitar a little more before looking back up at Kurt who was fixing his hair in the mirror, "Kurt, come here." Kurt turned around and raised an eyebrow, as Blaine repeated, "Come here."

Kurt walked over gracefully and sat on the bed next to Blaine, his eyes filled with curiosity. Blaine flashed him a sincere smile, before strumming the strings and began to sing:

_**I've been alone, surrounded by darkness.  
**__**I've seen how heartless, the world can be.  
**__**I've seen you crying, you felt like it's hopeless.  
**__**I'll always do my best, to make you see.**_

_**Baby, you're not alone, cause you're here with me.  
**__**And nothing's ever gonna bring us down,  
**__**Cause nothing can keep me from loving you, and you know it's true.  
**__**It don't matter what'll come to be.  
**__**Our love is all we need to make it through.**_

Blaine looked up from his guitar to clock onto Kurt's reaction. He watched as his boyfriend's eyes lit up with glee, his mouth hanging open as he listens, mesmerised. Blaine fumbled on the chord change as he stared into Kurt's eyes for a split second too long. He managed to tear his gaze away from Kurt to regain composure and focus on the song, swallowing a little as he continued to sing:

_**Now I know it ain't easy, but it ain't hard trying.  
**__**Every time I see you smiling, and I feel you so close to me,  
**__**And you tell me:**_

Blaine looked up as he heard his boyfriend join in singing. Tears of joy now trickled down Kurt's face and Blaine wanted more than anything to stop playing to kiss the tears away, because even though they were happy tears, he did not enjoy seeing Kurt cry, regardless of the situation. Blaine, meanwhile, was trying to keep his emotions in check, letting the song speak for him in hope that Kurt understood what he was trying to say. Because during dinner, Blaine had made a decision that would change everything completely. It made one of their conversations earlier in the evening redundant. But Blaine didn't know how to start expressing his thoughts so had decided to sing instead, with his boyfriend now joining in:

_**Baby, you're not alone, cause you're here with me.  
**__**And nothing's ever gonna bring us down,  
**__**Cause nothing can keep me from loving you, and you know it's true.  
**__**It don't matter what'll come to be.  
**__**Our love is all we need to make it through.**_

The absence of Kurt's voice singing with his left a hole in his heart. He knew that Kurt probably wanted to listen to him now, because Blaine knew that his boyfriend loved it when he sings to him, because after all, they seem to be good at articulating their feelings through song. That doesn't mean to say that Blaine didn't enjoy talking about feelings too, because he did. He loved sitting down with Kurt and just talking about anything and everything that was on their minds; sometimes, discussion topics would be trivial things, whilst others were deeper, more emotional, delving into territories that could test their relationship. In a way, singing was their way of starting a deeper conversation sometimes. Other times they just sang for the hell of it, but this wasn't one of those times:

_**I still have trouble, I trip and stumble,  
**__**Trying to make sense of things sometimes.  
**__**I look for reasons, but I don't need them,  
**__**All I need is to look in your eyes, and I realise.**_

He felt Kurt inching closer, their knees now touching, his hand reaching around his waist but still leaving Blaine in a position where he could strum. Kurt tilted his head onto Blaine's shoulder, nuzzling into the crook of his neck in an attempt to feel close to his boyfriend. Blaine felt off-guard, surprised, not expecting this from Kurt at all. He had underestimated the gesture he was doing:

_**Baby, I'm not alone, cause you're here with me.  
**__**And nothing's ever gonna take us down,  
**__**Cause nothing can keep me from loving you, and you know it's true.  
**__**It don't matter what'll come to be,  
**__**Our love is all we need to make it through.**_

_**Oh, cause you're here with me.  
**__**And nothing's ever gonna bring us down,  
**__**Cause nothing, nothing, nothing,  
**__**Can keep me from loving you, and you know it's true.  
**__**It don't matter what'll come to be,  
**__**You know our love is all we need.**_

_**Our love is all we need, to make it through.**_

Blaine squeezed his eyes closed for a second, trying to fight between happy tears of his own and an outburst of thoughts spilling from his mouth. The room was silent for a moment, until they both heard applause coming from the stairs. They hadn't even heard the sound of high-heels clicking down the stairs, but there was Carole Hudson-Hummel standing at the bottom of her stepson's bedroom's stairs, watery-eyed with a closed-mouth smile playing on her lips. Her voice was shaky as she held back her tears, "I'm so sorry to intrude. I was just coming to check if you boys wanted anything, but clearly this is a bad time. I can come back later if you want."

Kurt murmured as he nestled his hair further into Blaine's shoulder, "A hot chocolate would be nice, Carole."

Blaine shifted slightly to gently rest his guitar against the nightstand as he replied courteously, "May I please have a hot chocolate too?"

Carole nodded and barely let out a whisper as she turned on her heel to walk back upstairs, "Sure, boys. I'll be right back."

Blaine waited until he thought Carole was gone before placing his hand on his boyfriend's knee, his thumb lightly stroking down the side of it and declared confidently, "I love you, Kurt." They heard a small squeal come from the top of the stairs but they ignored it.

Blaine waited a few more seconds before he shifted himself a little more so that Kurt would sit up. They both stared into each other's eyes for a second before their lips quickly met in the middle for a brief, chaste kiss. Blaine began to rub his nose against Kurt's, slowly and gently, as he moved his arm so that he was holding Kurt like Kurt was holding him. He whispered softly, "Forget about what I said outside the store earlier. Nothing will bring us down, Kurt. I don't care what life will throw at us because of what we have; it will all be worth it if I get to spend it with you."

Kurt whispered back, his voice slightly higher due to his emotional state, "I am never saying goodbye to you."

The force of Kurt's hug knocked Blaine back onto the bed, his neck being peppered with kisses as he replied softly, raising a hand from his boyfriend's waist to gently stroke the back of his head, "I can't ever say goodbye to you. Not now. Not ever."

* * *

"Burt, did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Blaine singing to your son."

"Oh, was that him singing? That kid has quite a voice."

Carole grabbed the television remote from the arm of Burt's chair and turned the TV off. Burt protested, "Hey, I was watching that."

Carole sat on the chair's arm, Burt putting an arm around her waist to bring her closer, "Well, this is more important. Do you know what I just heard?" Burt shrugged with a small grimace on his face. His wife gripped his bicep, "Blaine just said that he loves Kurt, and I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual." Burt grunted as Carole rolled her eyes, "Your son is in love, Burt."

Burt tried to fight a smile but failed, "I'm happy for him. I didn't think that this day would come for many years in the future. But I'm worried about them. They are falling too quickly." Finn walked in from having dropped Rachel home. Burt's eyes locked with his, "How long has this been going on for?"

Finn looked like a deer caught in the headlights, "What do you mean?"

"This Kurt in love thing?"

Finn smirked in adoration for the couple, because there was no reason not to. Finn knew all they had been through; he had experienced it first-hand and knew that every moment for them was precious. Finn shipped it almost as much as Puck did. He replied to his stepfather, "Well, he admitted to it yesterday, but I know just by the way he's been looking at Blaine that it's been so much longer."

Burt bobbed his head as he fell deep into thought. Carole rubbed his arm before standing up and walked towards the kitchen, "I need to go make the boys some hot chocolate. Anyone else want anything?"

"Could you get me a beer? I need one to clear my head." Burt asked as he scowled at the wall opposite him.

Finn shrugged, "I'll come help, Mom."

Carole raised an eyebrow, "Going to make a sandwich?"

Finn walked out the room with his mother following suit, "After I've helped."

Carole smiled at her son's generous offer to help. This didn't happen very often. But she knew that it was because Finn understood how rare Kurt and Blaine's love was. She knew that her son cared about his stepbrother, and understood that sometimes even the smallest of gestures could make a big difference. Carole felt proud of her son, noting in her mind to mention to the boys downstairs that Finn helped out, as they would express some form of gratitude to him.

She turned to Finn as she opened the fridge to retrieve the milk, "Hey, Finn?" He hummed in response before she continued, "How in love are they? I don't want to see Kurt getting hurt."

Finn's lips twitched into his signature smirk, "I don't want to jinx anything, but they seem to be headed for the long run."

"How long?"

"Mom, I think they might be soul-mates."

* * *

_Dear Journal,_

_Well, it's been a hell of a day. I mean, we won regionals and Kurt & I are in the very early stages of love. You know the stage I mean, journal. The ridiculously fluffy stage of the relationship right after the first 'I Love You'. Not sure if that's actually a thing but our relationship hasn't exactly been normal to begin with. _

_I love him, and I won't be able to cope without him. I know it's silly. I know it's been a month but it's true. The future may be unknown, but I want to face it all with him. Wow, that's cheesy._

_Carole likes me. That's a plus. But I don't think Mr Hummel is warming up to me to be honest. I mean, I come into his son's life out of nowhere and suddenly his son is head over heels for a guy he met a month ago. I'm not surprised if he doesn't like me. I'm surprised he's even letting me stay under his roof for the entire week._

_I haven't really seen much of Finn this evening. Haven't had the chance to thank him properly for helping me organise our Little Things number. I owe him one for that, because without him, I would have ended up staying at Nick's this spring break, and now that doesn't sound anywhere near as fun (no offense to Nick - I love that guy). Plus, he helped to make some kickass hot chocolate with little marshmallows and everything._

_Anyway, I'm going to go. I need to sleep well so that I'm not grumpy for the first day of spring break. Who knows? If I'm cheerful enough, Mr Hummel might actually start liking me. Plus, I need energy for Puck's party. Wish me luck there._

_- Blaine_

* * *

_Dear Journal,_

_Emotions. So many emotions._

_I'm scared my dad won't accept him._

_He promised me forever._

_He sung me a love song._

_He just takes my breath away._

_My heart. My emotions._

_I LOVE HIM SO, SO MUCH!_

_I don't think I can live without him anymore!_

_- Kurt_

_P.S I need to remember to thank Carole and Finn for the best hot chocolate I've ever had! I wonder what their secret is._

* * *

**A/N:** So there we have it. Chapter 9 – hope you enjoyed it :) I'll update as soon as I can, but with exams and revision, it might be later that I'd like (much like this chapter) :/ Need more time in a day/days in a year etc. PLEASE REVIEW! :) - foreveragleek44


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Hey, here's chapter 10 :) Hope you enjoy it! There's a lot of talking in the beginning so sorry if I've made it boring! Reminder that this is an AU fic, so some events may have happened at different times. Some songs in this chapter :) First song is All About Tonight by Pixie Lott - /watch?v=swcULf1ATyU . Second song is Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol - /watch?v=GemKqzILV4w . There's also a mention of Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO - /watch?v=zIh5AHxh-Ok . Anyway, enjoy and PLEASE REVIEW! :)

* * *

_**From: Puckerman  
**__Morning Hummel. I need your opinion on cups for this evening - Puck_

_**To: Puckerman  
**__Good morning, Puck. Cups? You want an opinion on cups? Just go with the red solo cups. It's not like they are a fashion accessory. Okay, yeah cups are at parties, but you can't go wrong with the red solo cups - K :)_

_**From: Puckerman  
**__Just wanted to check they didn't clash with your outfit, alright? I know how touchy you get about that sort of thing ;) - Puck_

_**To: Puckerman  
**__Not sure whether to be grateful or offended - K :)_

_**From: Puckerman  
**__Is Anderson joining us tonight? ;) - Puck_

_**To: Puckerman  
**__Of course, Puck. Why wouldn't he? And no, it's not an excuse to "grind against him" or whatever you call it. It's a chance to go out and have a good evening with my boyfriend and friends, maybe dance a little, but not what you're thinking, Puck - K :)_

_**From: Puckerman  
**__C'mon Hummel. Why don't you want to tap that? - Puck_

_**To: Puckerman  
**__Bye, Puck - K :)_

_**From: Puckerman  
**__This isn't over ;) - Puck_

* * *

Kurt walked upstairs, awake relatively early for a Saturday but was unable to get back to sleep after Puck had texted him. Once he read his texts, he knew he was awake for the morning. He could never sleep after reading text messages.

He walked through the living room and into the kitchen. His dad was sitting at the breakfast bar by himself, eating a bowl of cereal whilst looking out through the window at the backyard. His father was clearly deep in thought as Kurt had to clear his throat several times before Burt turned to him, "Oh, morning bud."

Kurt replied with a small smile, "Morning Dad."

He began to advance over to the coffee maker to make himself and his father some, but now Burt was clearing his throat. Kurt turned and raised an eyebrow at his dad, as he mumbled, "Have a seat, Kurt."

Kurt slowly walked to the stool opposite his dad and sat down, looking at him expectedly. Burt took another spoonful of cereal into his mouth and swallowed before saying, "So you and Blaine. Look, I may have been blunt with the boy and a bit hostile about it, but I'm just not ready for a guy to come into your life like this and treat you the way he does, like you're his entire world. It's not that I don't want you to be happy, okay? Because I love you and I want more than anything for you to be happy. Honestly, son, I'm happy that there's someone like that in your life. I just don't like the idea that the little boy I raised is turning into a young man. I guess, I wasn't expecting someone who would treat you like that and love you with all his heart and who'd understand just how special you are so soon, because you are one of a kind, Kurt. And Blaine is the luckiest guy in the planet if he's managed to steal your heart away."

Kurt bit his lip, "Dad, I... Thank you. Thank you for understanding and thank you for doing this. I know it was difficult for you."

Burt stood up and took his bowl to the sink, "I just want you to be happy, Kurt. And from what I've heard and the very little I've seen, you're the happiest I've seen you since your mom died."

Kurt smiled sheepishly, "Well, with Blaine, it almost seems that all the bad things in the world are just non-existent, and when it does somehow creep in, it's all manageable. With him by my side, I feel happy and safe and _loved_. And I'm scared that I'm not giving him half the love he gives me."

Burt's eyes lit up as Kurt had basically admitted to him face-to-face that he loves Blaine, "I like him, you know? He seems a joy to be around and I promise to not be harsh on him from now on. Of all the types of guys you could have ended up with, I'm glad he's who you chose."

Kurt stood up and embraced his father, who hugged him too whilst patting his back, "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, son."

A new voice spoke from across the room, "Is it weird that I am jealous of you right now, Mr Hummel?"

Before Burt let go of Kurt, he responded, "Seriously, kiddo, call me Burt."

Kurt managed to wriggle out of his father's grasp and cross the room to embrace Blaine. He took a deep breath in, remembering Blaine's musky scent once again, "Morning honey. Sleep well?"

Blaine's face broke out into a huge grin, "I slept brilliantly. How did you sleep, beautiful?"

Kurt giggled, "When my dreams are filled with you, it makes me wonder if I ever want to be awake again. But I do because the real thing is better."

Blaine touched his forehead against Kurt's, completely lost in his presence, as he realised that his sleepy daze was yet to wear off. He whispered, "I love you."

Kurt blinked a few times, trying to fight back tears. It was too early in the day for Blaine to be saying that to him. Even yesterday afternoon and evening, he was having trouble keeping his emotions in check. He responded in barely a whisper, "I love you too."

Blaine leant in and kissed the tip of Kurt's nose, eliciting yet another beautiful giggle from his boyfriend as he nuzzled into Kurt's neck, "I love you more."

Kurt chuckled slightly, "I love you the most."

Blaine looked back up into Kurt's bright blue-green eyes, unable to identify the majority of the shades he could see. He responded happily, "Not possible."

Burt stood and watched the scene unfold, the two boys too absorbed in each other to notice he was still in the room. His eyes lit up with joy and a sincere smile formed on his lips. He watched on as they whispered sweet nothings to each other, nothing but adoration in their body language. That was the moment that Burt realised what Blaine really symbolised. Blaine was a symbol for Kurt's future, because Burt had no idea what the future held for Kurt, but he knew that Blaine was always going to be there; that was set in stone.

He retuned into the conversation as Blaine murmured, "If kisses were snowflakes, I'd give you a blizzard."

Kurt responded quietly, "Are you going to say that every time you want to kiss me?"

Burt's heart skipped a beat. Now he really felt like he was intruding. He turned and walked out the other door in the kitchen, briefly glancing back to see Kurt leaning down towards Blaine. He closed the door slowly behind himself so that he didn't ruin the moment. He padded into the living room to find Carole and a sleepy Finn were also downstairs, watching the news. He sat down next to his wife and put his arm around Carole's shoulders, "I have a feeling that Blaine's sticking around for a while."

Carole grinned, looking away from the television to speak to her husband, "How long for, do you reckon?"

Burt shrugged, "Who knows? They're young. It may not last, but he's not been this happy since his mom died, so I think it will."

Carole hugged into her husband, "Have you spoken to Blaine yet about how grateful you are for him coming into Kurt's life?"

Burt shook his head, "Not yet. I'll get him when Kurt's having his morning shower after breakfast."

Finn interjected, "You're grateful for Blaine?"

"More grateful than you may ever understand, Finn."

* * *

Blaine sat on Kurt's bed, laptop on his lap as he listened to the Skype dial tone. Kurt was sorting through his outfits, deciding what to wear for the day and pre-planning for the party that evening.

Blaine asked, "Babe, can you come and do this with me? I don't know what she's going to say."

Kurt replied reassuringly, "She's your mom. She'll love you no matter what. I refuse to meet her over Skype, but I will be in the room until it's ov-"

Kurt was interrupted by a female voice speaking from Blaine's laptop, "Blainey, I was hoping you'd call soon."

Blaine's face broke out into a smile, "I wouldn't miss our scheduled Skype for the world, Mom. I miss you."

She responded, "I miss you too. Cooper as well. Is he around to say hello?"

"He's in Miami filming for the tanning lotion commercial."

She raised an eyebrow, "Didn't you go with him? You're on fall break, right?"

"Yeah I am, but we decided it wouldn't be fun for me because he's going to be working 4 days out of 5."

She nodded understandingly, "Oh okay, so you staying with Jeff then?"

Blaine rubbed the back of his neck, "Er... No?"

"Nick?"

He began to rub harder, "I'm staying with Kurt. My boyfriend. In Lima."

He looked over at Kurt who had perched against his vanity table, giving Blaine a comforting smile. His mom replied happily, "Oh, okay then. You having fun?"

Blaine's eyes widened, "I am. You're okay with me staying with my _boyfriend_?"

She nodded, "Sweetheart, so long as you're happy, I don't care if you're straight, gay, bi, asexual. Whatever makes you happy, I will accept that. I will accept you no matter what. I can't say the same for your dad and hey, I wasn't thrilled at first, but you're my son. You're always going to be that, and to not accept you would be silly of me. I was going to reply to your email before but I became extremely busy with work. But just because of that, it doesn't mean I don't support you. I wish I could be there to support you fully. I hope you understand."

Blaine grinned widely, "I do. Thanks, Mom. I love you."

She sighed happily, "I love you too. Is he around?"

Blaine eyed Kurt, who shook his head in response, "He is but he's being stubborn and saying that he wants to meet you face-to-face the first time."

She pointed out, "Kurt, dear, it technically is face-to-face."

Blaine looked over at Kurt and encouraged him, "Get your beautiful ass over here, Kurt. Mom wants to say hi to you."

His mother scolded him, "Blaine, don't talk to him like that, or else he might not be your boyfriend for much longer."

Blaine bit his lip at Kurt, "He loves me too much to leave me right now. Isn't that right, baby?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and slowly walked over, crossing his arms across his chest as he began to feel self-conscious. What if his mom didn't like him after all? She seemed lovely enough but would she be tolerant if she didn't like him? He muttered, "I love you so much. I couldn't leave you right now."

Blaine grabbed his boyfriend's t-shirt and pulled him onto the bed as he shuffled over slightly so they had an equal amount of room, "I love you too. Now will you please say hello?"

Kurt looked at the screen nervously as he studied the woman onscreen. Brunette curly locks, big hazel eyes, full pink lips, an olive complexion to die for; this woman was beautiful and Kurt realised where Blaine had gotten his good looks from. There she sat, on the other side of the world: Kate Anderson.

Kurt gulped and waved nervously, "Hey, I'm Kurt. I'm hopelessly in love with your son." His eyes widened as he realised what he had blurted out and slapped his hand to his mouth. When he got nervous, he said things that he wouldn't normally say. He knew that that wouldn't have slipped out if he wasn't nervous.

Kate giggled from the laptop, "You don't need to be nervous, Kurt. I just wanted to see the guy who has made my boy so happy."

Blaine smiled at his boyfriend, "What can I say? I've never met anyone like him." He planted a kiss on Kurt's cheek, who began to blush beetroot red.

His mother smiled at the couple as Kurt's eyes darted towards Blaine's to seek comfort, "If he's as nice a person as he is handsome then we need to talk wedding details."

Blaine moaned, "Mom! Why? Why say that?"

Meanwhile, a grin began to form on Kurt's face as he slid his hand into Blaine's, "Honey, it's fine. She's only teasing."

She darted her eyes suspiciously, "For now certainly."

Kurt replied as Blaine buried his face into Kurt's shoulder, "Well for now, all that matters is I like your son a hell of a lot, and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I never hurt him; I'll always be with him and I will do whatever it takes to make sure he's always happy, Mrs Anderson."

"Call me Kate, Kurt."

Blaine interjected into the conversation, "Are you and Dad coming home for Christmas?"

She nodded, "We come back every year, Blainey. And we might be planning to come back for Thanksgiving. Kurt, will you be joining us for either of those?"

Kurt smiled, "You want me over for the holidays?"

"I want to get to know my future son-in-law."

Another groan from Blaine as Kurt responded, "I will have to ask my parents if it's okay. But it would be lovely to meet you and Mr Anderson."

She simpered, "Well, I hope to see you real soon then. I need to go now though. Got an early start and still need to talk to Cooper, so I hope you boys have a great fall break and I will hopefully see you both soon." She paused before looking directly into Blaine's eyes through the screen, "I love you, sweetheart."

Blaine rested his head on Kurt's shoulder, Kurt resting his head on top of his, "I love you too, Mom."

She addressed Kurt, "It was lovely to see you, Kurt."

"You too."

"Bye boys."

They chorused together, "Bye."

Blaine closed his laptop carefully and placed it on the bedside table before turning to Kurt and smiling shyly, "Thank you."

Kurt raised an eyebrow, "What for?"

Blaine placed his hand in Kurt's once more, "For being here with me when I told her and for plucking up the courage to come sit with me when she asked for you."

Kurt rested his forehead against Blaine's temple, letting out a sigh, "Am I going to be her future son-in-law?"

Blaine chuckled as he relaxed under Kurt's touch, "I want you to be. But right now, we need to concentrate on us in the present and not us in the future. We're both still in high school for crying out loud."

Kurt pressed a kiss to Blaine's cheek before climbing off the bed and advancing across the room, grabbing a hanger with his day's outfit hanging off it, "I'm going to have my shower now, honey. Try not to set the house on fire whilst I'm in there."

Blaine pouted, "I resent that you'd even expect that of me."

Kurt teased, "I'll make it up to you when I get back."

With that, the bathroom door was slowly closed, a click to signal that it had been locked. Blaine chuckled slightly as he thought about the conversation they had had under the West Lima High bleachers last night. He knew that both Kurt and himself weren't ready to go all the way, but kissing every inch of Kurt's pale torso was something he was definitely thinking about right now. Would that be overstepping the boundaries that Kurt might have for this relationship right now? Blaine fell back so he was lying on Kurt's bed, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to forget about everything he had just imagined.

* * *

The shower pump began to whir and a heavy clunk of boots descended down the stairs. Kurt was in the shower and Blaine wasn't used to being alone with Burt. He gulped nervously as he sat up and looked over at his boyfriend's father, who was now at the bottom of the stairs. Burt rocked back and forth on his heels, "Hey, kiddo. Mind if I have a word?"

Blaine swung his legs to sit on the edge of the bed, "Sure, Burt. What's up?"

Burt walked over and sat down next to Blaine, looking down at the floor and ringing his hands together, "I want to apologise for being blunt and unfriendly towards you."

Blaine nodded, "That's okay, Burt. I understand. I came out of nowhere and became a big part of your son's life really quickly. If it was my kid, I'd be the same, but only because I'd never want to see him or her grow up. I'd want them to be a kid forever, you know?"

Burt looked up at Blaine, "Yes, I do know. Ever since his mom died, I've been scared of losing him too, but I've never even thought about him growing up. Until he met you." He paused briefly to lick his lips, becoming very aware that his mouth was drier than normal, "When he met you and began to talk about you to me, I felt relieved, grateful even. I wasn't expecting Kurt to find someone as well-rounded and handsome as you until he was a senior at college or something, and yet here you are, sitting in my son's room, staying the week with us because from what I can work out, he wouldn't be able to survive the week without you. I need to thank you, kiddo. You've given my son something that I've always wanted from him: true happiness. And I hope you two last. I really do."

Burt stood up as Blaine replied, "Sir, just so you know... me and Kurt... we're going to last, because I love him more than I could ever love anyone else, and I will fight until the very end to make sure that I can love him every day for the rest of my life."

Burt chuckled, "For the last time, Blaine, it's Burt."

With that, Burt advanced across the room and walked up the stairs, just in time for the shower pump to cut out. Blaine lay back down, turning so that he was on his stomach, and buried his face into Kurt's pillows, inhaling Kurt's scent to calm him down. He may have seemed calm when talking to Burt, but that conversation was one of the scariest he had been through.

The fact that Blaine had basically admitted to Kurt's father that he would love him forever made him feel even more scared. Now that someone else knew, it became all the more real. He wasn't scared of reality; even though he was only 15, 16 in a couple of days, he knew he had found his soulmate in the form of one Kurt Elizabeth Hummel.

What he was scared of was reality going wrong and losing Kurt forever. He was scared of messing things up.

_**From: Wes  
**__Hey Anderson, are you and lover boy fine now? - Wes_

_**To: Wes  
**__I just admitted to his father that I basically hope I'm with Kurt for the rest of my life. I hadn't even told you guys that yet (I have told Kurt before you ask). Can I go die? He's so going to hurt me now if I hurt Kurt in any way (not that I intend to do that). Wes, can we please join self-defense classes when we get back to Dalton as a precaution? - B_

_**From: Wes  
**__Okay, calm down. I only wanted to know if you two boys had had an apologising/forgiving make-out. That's all I wanted. I was not expecting 'shit crazy Anderson mode' right now. He won't kill you. You'll be fine because you and Kurt are gonna stay together, okay? - Wes_

_**To: Wes  
**__Wesley, I gotta go. The boyfriend is trying to make it up to me for offending me earlier. I'll text you later - B_

_**From: Wes  
**__Okay, didn't need to know that you two are about to make-out again. I just wanted to know about the one time - Wes_

_**From: Wes  
**__You're gone, aren't you? - Wes_

_**From: Wes  
**__I think you just rolled on your phone, Anderson, because you called me. I declined the call because I'd rather not hear that, thank you - Wes_

_**To: Wes  
**__Jshdsdjosdos_

_**From: Wes  
**__Uh, I wonder why you were even given a phone, Anderson. You don't know how to use it. Next time, will you please lock your phone? - Wes_

_**From: Wes  
**__I'll shut up now - Wes_

_**To: Wes  
**__Sorry :) - K & B_

* * *

The evening couldn't have come soon enough. Both boys had been looking forward to going to another party, nothing but excitement and happiness in the atmosphere.

Kurt sat in the driver's seat of his car, driving as carefully as he could with the adrenaline pumping through his veins. He was very enthusiastic about attending parties now, especially after the one at Dalton at the start of the semester. He kept his eyes on the road, not looking at Blaine out of fear of crashing. Instead, he pictured what his boyfriend had looked like as they left the house: red polo shirt, turned up jeans, leather boots from Urban Outfitters, his hair slicked back with gel in its usual manner; it was difficult not to stare at him at every red light. The reminder of Finn in the back of the car helped him to fight against his urges as he drove on, powering through temptation.

Another issue he was having is he could feel Blaine studying his outfit, probably thinking that he looked hot, much to Kurt's disagreement. I wasn't like a dark grey button-up, a lighter grey blazer, tight black jeans and his usual black & white Doc Martens were anything special. In fact, apart from the Dalton uniform, Kurt hadn't dressed this plain since before the semester began. He began to question whether or not he should have added a scarf to the outfit just to give it something more interesting.

He had managed to tune out Blaine and Finn's conversation as they discussed basketball tryouts and how they would make each other look good with pre-planned tactics so they could both end up on the team. Kurt had never understood the sporting hype. All it was was people running around with various different rules depending on the game, three-quarters of the time including a ball, to try and make the teams with less skill feel degraded as they lose again and again, and to give the better teams an ego boost all for about 2 days before they're back on the field, being barked at by their coach to do better despite their recent win. Yes, he had been a kicker for the McKinley football team last year, but that was only to make his dad proud, and the entire time, he didn't understand what the other players had to do, only just understanding that his role could help them win an entire game, and even did on one occasion.

"Kurt?" He hummed in response to show he was now listening to his boyfriend, "What do you want to do tomorrow?"

Kurt smiled at his boyfriend's eagerness, "I don't know. What do you want to do?"

Blaine was quiet for a few seconds, thinking about what he knew was around, which wasn't much since he had only been in Lima a day and had spent most of that time at home with Kurt, having deep and meaningful conversations about anything that came to mind, and making out so much that he could feel Kurt's lips on his permanently.

Finally, he replied, "Can we go to the mall or something? I know how much you like shopping and I want to experience where you go to do that."

Kurt chuckled lightly, "Okay, we can go to the mall. But I refuse to go on a shopping spree. I've managed to kick my addiction thanks to living at Dalton, and I don't want to have a relapse."

Blaine sighed, "Well, I need more hair gel and stuff, so can I please at least buy that?"

Kurt responded, "I'm not stopping you from shopping. I'm just saying I won't be doing much, but that doesn't mean I won't accompany you on your quest for raspberry-scented hair gel and any bow tie you are yet to own."

Finn interjected, "Take a right here, Kurt. It's the sixth house on the left."

Kurt did as Finn said, and could already tell which house it was, even if he wasn't told. There were cars parked on the front yard and along the road. Kurt sighed defeatedly as he passed the house so that he could find somewhere to park. Four houses down and there was a gap by the sidewalk; he pulled into the space and cut off the engine.

Each boy climbed out the nearest door, Kurt locking the vehicle behind him before rushing around the front of it to catch up with Blaine. He took his boyfriend's hand and swung their arms playfully, walking down the street towards the deep boom of the music, Finn following close behind. Kurt smiled at Blaine, "Can't wait to dance with you this evening."

Blaine rested his head on Kurt's shoulder as they walked, "Well, you can dance with me the whole party if that's what you want."

Kurt chuckled, "I'm not sure you'll be able to keep up, honey."

Blaine teased in response, "Watch me."

They began to walk across the yard to the front door, Kurt immediately recognising the beat to the next song playing. He began to walk faster, dragging Blaine behind him, pushing the door open with more force than he intended to, "Come on, I love this song."

Kurt hadn't been around Puck's before, but could guess where the living room was as most of the New Directions were already here, all gathered together in the partying mood. It was good to be together again, all in the same room, hanging out as if nothing had changed. What was new for Kurt was that he was actually attending one of these Glee club parties he had been skipping since sophomore year. It wasn't anything like the Dalton party: there was no special lighting; the music wasn't echoing throughout the room, probably due to how small Puck's living room was in comparison; there were no party decorations; and everywhere Kurt looked, there was alcohol in red solo cups. He shook his head when he saw what was in the corner. Puck had borrowed Rachel's karaoke machine. A Glee party clearly isn't complete without it seeing as Mercedes had repeatedly attempted to persuade him to come along simply so that he could join in with the karaoke; he was yet to take up that offer.

What made him smile the most was the fact that it was the karaoke machine running this song, and The Unholy Trinity were the ones standing with microphones in their hands. Quinn ran her hand though her hair and smiled as she began to sing:

_**I bought a new pair of shoes, I got a new attitude when I walk,  
**__**Cause I'm so over you, and it's all about tonight.  
**__**I'm going out with the girls, ready to show all the boys what I got.  
**__**I'm letting go of the hurt, cause it's all about tonight.**_

Quinn waved at the three of them, seeing as Finn had managed to join them. Finn briefly waved back before finding Rachel across the room, talking with Tina, Mike and Artie. Santana and Brittany joined in with Quinn:

_**Yeah the night is alive, you can feel the heartbeat.  
**__**Let's just go with the flow, we've been working all week.  
**__**Tomorrow doesn't matter when you're moving your feet.  
**__**It's all about tonight.**_

_**We'll be dancing and singing, and climbing up on the tables.  
**__**We'll be rocking this party, so tell the DJ don't stop.  
**__**Grab someone if you're single, grab someone if you're not.  
**__**It's all about tonight.**_

Blaine grabbed Kurt around the waist and began to sway them to the beat. Kurt laughed, "What are you doing?"

Blaine yelled over the music, "Grabbing someone because it's all about tonight."

Kurt linked his arms around Blaine's neck and rested his forehead against his boyfriend's, "I love you. Cheese and all."

Blaine pouted, "Cheese? That wasn't cheesy."

Kurt chuckled, "You're such a dork."

Blaine leant up and pecked his boyfriend on the lips, "Does a dork ever get as beautiful a boyfriend as you?"

Kurt teased, "Well, clearly, because you managed it, didn't you?"

Blaine laughed in response as the song continued, this time Santana taking the main vocals to fill the song with sassiness, unlike before where Quinn had made the song vengeful, almost as if she had just been screwed over by a guy:

_**And boy I'm not hanging on, cause I threw all your drama away.  
**__**Had something good but it's gone, yeah it's all about tonight.  
**__**They got the music so loud, so I won't hear the phone if you call.  
**__**And we're so over now, cause it's all about tonight.**_

"Hey, I was wondering when you guys would show up."

Puck put an arm around the two boys, separating them in the process. Kurt scowled at him, "Couldn't have waited until we'd finished dancing."

Puck shook his head and grinned cheekily, "Nah. Who knows when you two would stop anyway? You're probably going to be all over each other all night anyway, what with your super-tight jeans and Anderson's chest muscles visibly showing through his shirt."

The couple took a moment to study each other. Blaine gave Kurt an approving nod at just how tight his jeans were, whilst Kurt gawped at Blaine's shirt, trying to keep his thoughts to himself, but finding it difficult. Blaine decided to ignore the staring and asked, "Puck, are you drunk already?"

Puck laughed, "What if I am? Anyway, you two incredibly adorable guys need to sing a duet before the night's out. Share your cuteness and your talent."

Kurt rolled his eyes, "Maybe. We'll see, okay?"

Throughout the conversation, The Unholy Trinity were all chorusing together, with harmonies and echoes that they would not have practised, because The Unholy Trinity did everything on the go, knowing the way each other would move by a simple bat of the eyelid and how they would sing by a single breath:

_**Yeah the night is alive, you can feel the heartbeat.  
**__**Let's just go with the flow, we've been working all week.  
**__**Tomorrow doesn't matter when you're moving your feet.  
**__**It's all about tonight.  
**_

_**We'll be dancing and singing, and climbing up on the tables.  
**__**We'll be rocking this party, so tell the DJ don't stop.  
**__**Grab someone if you're single, grab someone if you're not.  
**__**It's all about tonight.**_

Puck asked Blaine, "I know that Hummel here is the designated driver for you and Finchel, but would you like anything to drink? We have beer, vodka, wine coolers." He turned to Kurt, "We have Diet Coke for you, my friend."

Blaine smiled, "One beer. Just one. Then I'll be sticking to the Diet Coke with Kurt. Would rather remember all the fun I have this evening."

Puck patted his shoulder, "A beer coming right up." He turned once more, "And I'll bring you a Diet Coke too."

And with that, Puck left them alone. They both shook their heads, taking a moment to recover from Puck's insanity as The Unholy Trinity chorused again:

_**Yeah the night is alive, you can feel the heartbeat.  
**__**Let's just go with the flow, we've been working all week.  
**__**Tomorrow doesn't matter when you're moving your feet.  
**__**It's all about tonight.**_

_**We'll be dancing and singing, and climbing up on the tables.  
**__**We'll be rocking this party, so tell the DJ don't...  
**__**Grab someone if you're single, grab someone if you're not.  
**__**It's all about tonight.**_

Everyone was cheering and applauding as Puck shoved their drinks in their hands without a word before walking off to try and get with Quinn. Kurt wasn't sure if he was successful or not as he was distracted by a pair of lips on his own. He whined a little when Blaine pulled away, longing for a deeper kiss. Blaine whispered against his lips, "Later, baby. When we're back at yours." He paused for a second before lifting his bottle a little, "I didn't even ask. Is it okay if I have one beer and only one?"

Kurt smiled, "Of course, Blaine. Just make sure you stay sober enough for when we get home. I want you to remember kissing me after having a fun night with me."

Blaine smiled, "How would I forget kissing you? No matter what, that's something I will always remember." He took a swig out of his bottle before holding it out for Kurt to take, "I have a song I want to sing, and I don't want a bottle of alcohol in my bloodstream before I do it."

Kurt nodded and took the bottle, "Okay, honey. Better hurry though. It looks like Finn and Rachel are discussing a duet right now."

Blaine kissed him on the cheek before rushing over to the karaoke machine and navigating through various menus to find the song he wanted to sing.

He looked up to see Finn and Rachel standing over him. Rachel declared, "We're going to sing next. 'Good Time' by Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen is a party classic, a crowd pleaser, and it takes great talent to pull off. We must sing next."

Blaine shook his head, "Guys, seriously, not now. I'm not putting up with this right now. Just give me this one. I'll make it up to you if I have to but I can't not do this."

Rachel placed both her hands on her hips, "Blaine, you're the new guy. I can understand your enthusiasm to make an impression for us girls, but can't it wait 5 minutes?"

Blaine scowled, "Actually, Rachel, it can't. I screwed up really bad a couple of days ago and I still want to make it up to him. So can you please just let me have this moment?"

Rachel went to protest, but stopped when Finn placed his hand on her shoulder, "Go for it, dude. This clearly means so much to you so we won't be the ones to stop you. We can sing when you're done."

Blaine smiled, "Thanks, Finn. You're a great friend." He paused before adding, "And a good brother."

Finn gave a nod of appreciation before leading Rachel away, Blaine very aware of the evils she was giving him. He shook his head in disbelief. Rachel seemed a bit self-involved and didn't like it when others stole her spotlight. Blaine was not having any of it. He was there first and he wanted to sing to Kurt because of how bad he still felt from swearing the first time Kurt admitted he loved him. Now that they both knew where they truly stood with the other, Blaine was willing to admit it all to his boyfriend whenever and wherever he could.

Finally, after flicking through many different menus, Blaine had found the song he was looking for and pressed play a few times as the touch screen wasn't very sensitive. He could hear Kurt laughing a little from across the room, but he was standing with Mercedes so it was more than likely what she had said; that's what Blaine told himself anyway so he could say that no one saw him repeatedly fail at starting a song, as far as he was aware.

The music finally began to play as Blaine turned to face the microphone, sliding the tips of his fingers down the stand nervously as lyrics popped up on a screen within his eyesight, not that he needed lyrics for this song; he had dreamt about singing this song to the love of his life someday. He just didn't know this day would come so soon, and that he would choose to sing it on a spur of the moment at a party. Nevertheless, Blaine fluttered his eyes closed, took a deep breath in and began to sing:

_**We'll do it all, everything on our own.  
**__**We don't need, anything or anyone.  
**__**If I lay here, if I just lay here,  
**__**Would you lie with me and just forget the world?**_

He opened his eyes for the first time, mainly because the initial nervousness was out the way. He had no idea why he was nervous at all; he was never nervous when performing onstage, yet whenever he was singing to or about his boyfriend, nerves would rush through him.

Everyone in the room was holding onto their special someone or a friend, watching on as he sung. Then he looked to Kurt, sitting on the window sill, his hand on Artie's shoulder but not paying much attention to the wheelchair-bound boy besides that. He smiled adoringly at Blaine, and Blaine could see from across the room that tears were filling his eyes.

Blaine gripped the stand tighter, his hand resting on top of the microphone. He continued to sing, his eyes staring into Kurt's across the room:

_**I don't quite know, how to say how I feel.  
**__**Those three words are said too much.  
**__**They're not enough.**_

_**If I lay here, if I just lay here,  
**__**Would you lie with me and just forget the world?  
**__**Forget what we're told, before we get too old.  
**__**Show me a garden that's bursting into life.**_

_**Let's waste time, chasing cars, around our heads.  
**__**I need your grace, to remind me, to find my own.**_

Blaine managed to work the microphone off the stand, gripping it tight in one hand. His eyes never left Kurt's for a second because he wanted more than anything for Kurt to know that this was for him and that everyone else should witness this because he didn't want to hide away his feelings. Blaine could feel the eyes of his friends and their girl friends, whether in a relationship or not, watching him as he set a new mood to the party, one which wasn't unwelcoming but equally not what the party was meant to be about. No one seemed to mind though as no one had yet to stop Blaine in whatever way they could think of.

He slowly began to walk over to Kurt, everyone parting like the Red Sea so that he had a clear path. He continued to sing:

_**If I lay here, if I just lay here,  
**__**Would you lie with me and just forget the world?  
**__**Forget what we're told, before we get too old.  
**__**Show me a garden that's bursting into life.**_

Blaine had now reached his boyfriend. He held out a hand for Kurt to pull him off the window sill, which Kurt gladly took. They stood close to each other, Kurt clearly resisting the urge to kiss him as he pressed his forehead against Blaine's.

Blaine was so happy in the moment, almost forgetting to sing into the microphone as he knew that everyone else was at least somewhat enjoying his performance:

_**All that I am, all that I ever was,  
**__**Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see.  
**__**I don't know where, confused about how as well.  
**__**Just know that these things will never change for us at all.**_

_**If I lay here,  
**__**If I just lay here,  
**__**Would you lie with me and just forget the world?**_

_Thump._

The microphone rolled across the shiny wooden floor as Blaine cupped Kurt's face in his hands. Within milliseconds, Kurt's lips were on his, a sweet and gentle kiss being shared by the two boys. They had completely forgotten about everyone else and didn't care if they were watching. Everything about the relationship was perfect in that moment, and if they couldn't share that with anyone else, then maybe it wasn't so perfect after all.

The kiss got deeper as Blaine slid his hands down from Kurt's face, down his neck, stroking the sides of Kurt's chest before resting them on his hips.

Blaine moaned slightly as Kurt flicked his tongue against his lips, desperate for the kiss to deepen further. They briefly registered Finn and Rachel singing and so assumed that they were now not being watched. Blaine physically relaxed as he let Kurt in, teeth bashing together for a couple of seconds before they fell into the same rhythm as they always did. Moans reverberated between them to only to help intensify the kiss further, and all the thoughts Blaine was having this morning were rushing back, with new ones popping into his head too. This was getting too heated for Blaine when he knew that Kurt wasn't ready for anything more. As for him, well he thought he wasn't and he still wasn't ready really; it was all a fantasy that he wasn't ready to make reality, but he knew that someday it could happen. Never say never.

He pulled away reluctantly, hearing a small disappointed moan from his boyfriend. He sighed, "Kurt, sweetie, I'm still so sorry about what happened a couple of nights ago."

Kurt chuckled softly as he nuzzled into Blaine's neck, "Honey, we're fine now. Everything's fine, and no matter what happens, I will be here for you. Even if you didn't love me back, I would have forgiven you for the swearing after Sectionals were over. I had already decided that. I just wasn't quite ready to talk in that hallway. Even if you didn't love me back, I wouldn't have stopped dating you unless that's what you wanted. I just want you to be happy, and if you're not then I want you to talk to me about whatever it is, no matter how small and I'll try and help as best I can."

Blaine shifted his hand to Kurt's neck, stroking at the nape, "I want you to be happy too. And those 16 hours when you weren't were killing me, especially because I was the one to make you feel that. I will never ever make you feel like that again. And no matter what, I will always love you, even if you fall out of love with me."

"I would never." Kurt responded, his face as serious as he could make it with the butterflies circulating inside his stomach and insane amount of endorphins being released into his brain, "Do you believe in soulmates?"

Blaine smiled and pressed a quick kiss to his boyfriend's lips, "How could I not when mine is standing right here in my arms?"

* * *

The rest of the evening consisted of more karaoke from the others and a lot of close dancing in the corner for the two boys. As the evening dragged on, Puck offered Blaine more beers, and after he had repeatedly politely declined, Kurt had suggested he could have one more. One more became three more after that and by the time Brittany and Santana had returned from somewhere upstairs, Blaine's drunkenness was sky high.

Kurt sat on the sofa by himself as he watched everyone, including his drunk boyfriend, flail about to _Party Rock Anthem_. They probably all thought they were dancing, but Kurt thought they were all out of their minds. This is the reason why he never wanted to come to these parties: everyone was acting out of character and completely crazy.

A redeeming factor to all that for Kurt was that he had never seen Blaine move around so freely. Yes, Blaine was the most carefree person he knew 90% of the time, but even this surpassed his standards.

Kurt was surprised when he felt someone fall into the sofa next to him. He turned to see Mercedes sipping a Diet Coke through a straw. Kurt's lips quirked slightly into a smile, "Are you the person that's been taking all my Diet Cokes?" Mercedes nodded as she continued to slurp. He questioned, "Have you had any alcohol tonight?"

Mercedes shook her head as she responded, "I'm Sam's, Tina's and Mike's designated driver, and anyway, I never drink at these things after Rachel's alcohol experiment last year."

"Ah I see." Kurt responded, nudging his elbow against her hip. He took a moment to glance at his boyfriend once more. He could tell Mercedes noticed when he turned to her judgemental facial expression, "Oh, as if you haven't been staring at Sam dancing this evening."

Mercedes replied, "Think what you want. I've done no such thing." She could see that Kurt was thinking about something, "What's on your mind?"

Kurt sighed, "The beginning of the evening was perfect, and then I told him he could drink. I wish hadn't. Call me selfish or whatever, but I wish tonight was different."

"And why's that?"

"Because I've realised that I can't ever say goodbye to him, and I need him to know, but I can't tell him whilst he's drunk, because what if he doesn't remember the next day?"

"What are you going to do then?"

Kurt thought for a moment, looking over at his boyfriend once more to see him and Puck grinding together. He shook his head as his jaw set and the jealousy welled up inside him. He responded, trying to hide his jealousy away, "Well, I'm going to give him the best birthday ever. I'm going to take him for a picnic, and I'll tell him then. I'll tell him everything I feel, everything I want, everything I want him to hear."

"And what might that be?"

"That he has my heart forever. He's been telling me that a lot recently, but I haven't told him anything."

Mercedes nodded, "Do it, boy."

"My heart is yours, Blaine Devon Anderson. My heart will always be yours." He muttered, watching as his boyfriend continued to "dance".

* * *

The party was beginning to die down. Kurt had managed to calm Blaine's dancing down enough for him to hook his arms around Blaine's neck and gently sway to the music. Kurt had finally decided it was time to go, holding Blaine around the waist with one arm and pulling Finn by the collar with the other, Rachel scurrying behind to keep up as they walked down the street to the car.

Blaine slumped into Kurt's side and giggled lightly as Kurt readjusted his arm to accommodate for Blaine's new positioning, "You look beautiful in the moonlight. You're more beautiful than the most beautiful thing on the planet, Kurtie. Did you know that? You're more beautiful than-"

Finn snorted in his drunken state, "How do you not break, Kurt? Aren't you made out of porcelain? How do you walk? Aren't your muscles not... not... not... not stiff because you're made out of china?"

Rachel hiccuped as she rested her chin on Blaine's shoulder, "What can I do to make you straight? I want to stare into those gorgeous blue eyes all the time, Kurt Hummel. Why can't you let me love you?"

Kurt rolled his eyes at all of them rambling on in their drunken states, trying so hard to suppress his laughter as Blaine complained about his brain hurting because he couldn't think of anything more beautiful than Kurt himself.

He bundled everyone into the back of the car, even though he wanted Blaine up front with him. He felt it would be safer for him, his fellow passengers and other road users for Blaine to sitting in the back with Finn and Rachel. Kurt climbed across their laps to clip in each seatbelt so that he was at peace of mind that they were safer. As he clipped in Blaine's, he paused to give him a quick peck on the lips. Blaine hummed in approval, "I love it when you kiss me. I wish we could just kiss all the time."

Kurt chuckled lightly, "I love you, Blaine."

Once again, Blaine hummed in approval before nuzzling into Finn's shoulder to slowly fall into a drunken doze. Kurt rolled his eyes again and closed the car door, before climbing into the driver's seat. He announced to the others, and also to remind himself, "Okay, so I'm taking Rachel home first and then I'll get you boys home."

Blaine responded cheekily, clearly not dozing after all, much to Kurt's dismay, "Home to get sexy?"

Kurt rolled his eyes, "Home to sleep."

"You're no fun." He could see Blaine crossing his arms in the rearview mirror. Kurt couldn't help but let a small smile tug at his lips when he saw that his boyfriend was pouting.

He turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared into life. Apart from that, there was silence in the car. Kurt was at least happy that they weren't being rowdy, meaning his concentration wouldn't be impaired.

He pulled out the space and watched the road carefully, knowing that drunk driving on a Friday evening was more than common in Lima, almost being a victim to several vehicular accidents as a result. It helped that everyone was silent for a while, meaning that at least he wouldn't be the one to cause an accident if there was to be one, but he highly doubted that.

Finn cut through the silence by asking, "Have you two ever considered marriage?"

Kurt scoffed, "We've been dating a month, Finn. A month."

He watched Finn shrug in the rearview mirror, "I dunno. It just seems like you two may as well get married. I mean, you were meant to be and... Why do we have five fingers?"

Kurt chuckled slightly as he turned the corner, "Evolution, Finn. Evolution."

Rachel then piped up, "Can we have sex, Kurt?"

Kurt laughed loudly in response to that, glad that they were pulling up to a red light, "No, Rachel. I'm gay. I like guys."

Blaine giggled, "Can _we_ have sex, Kurt?"

Kurt blushed slightly, hoping that they didn't see his face light up red, and if they did then they'd think of it as the traffic light reflecting off his pale skin, "I'm not ready yet, honey. We've already discussed this." To this, Kurt got a hum of approval once more.

Kurt stopped the car outside Rachel's house, her dads waiting anxiously by the door after they had gotten a drunken call from her just before leaving the party, "Okay Rachel, this is your stop."

Rachel incoherently mumbled in her drunken state as she unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed out the car, her dads shaking their heads in disapproval as she wobbled across the lawn in her drunken stupor.

Kurt waited until the front door was closed before setting off again, glancing in his rearview mirror to check on Finn and Blaine. They were both awfully quiet but definitely awake. Kurt asked them softly as he turned off of Rachel's road, "You two okay?"

They both hummed in response before Finn continued, "Not looking forward to the hangover tomorrow."

Kurt chuckled to himself, knowing that Finn was now sobering up a little and regretting the decision to drink as he always did when he returned home from another party. He stopped chuckling when his boyfriend piped up, "Kurt?"

"Yes honey?" Kurt responded, wondering what drunken slur was going to spill from Blaine's mouth, desperately hoping for another moon comment to snigger at.

"I love you so so much. I love you more than life, and life was the love of my life. It was until I met you."

Kurt grinned to himself, but didn't get too excited because he knew Blaine wouldn't remember what he had said when they woke up the next morning, "I love you more than anything, Blaine."

Kurt rolled his eyes at himself as he pulled up to his house. His game plan was to get Blaine downstairs into his room without his father seeing. If Burt were to encounter drunk Blaine, Kurt was certain that Blaine wouldn't be allowed to stay over ever again. He cut the engine and unbuckled his seatbelt before turning around to face Finn, "Are you at least a little bit sober right now, Finn?" Finn nodded at him without a word. "Okay, I need you to help me smuggle Blaine inside without Dad noticing he's drunk."

Finn unbuckled himself and then reached over to unbuckle Blaine, "Blaine, dude, we need to go inside and straight downstairs, okay? Kurt will get you in bed and then we'll all sleep the night away."

Blaine whined, "But I don't want to sleep. I want to make-out with Kurt."

Kurt chuckled lightly, "Blaine, honey, sleep will be better for you right now. Maybe in the morning."

Blaine nodded as he picked at his nails. Kurt rolled his eyes as he knew how much Blaine prided himself in clean nails that he would never hear the end of it, but equally Kurt knew that if he told Blaine to stop, he wouldn't; he wasn't in the right mindset to listen to instructions and that worried Kurt. He shook his head and opened the car door, circling around the front of the car to open Blaine's door. Finn emerged from around the back of the car, swaying a little bit as he found his bearings, "I hate this part of drinking. I'm still not entirely sober, dude."

Kurt raised an eyebrow, "You're sober enough to face Burt and not say something stupid. It's just a precaution anyway. Now, will you please help me walk him in? He's not exactly heavy, I just need someone to steady him on his other side."

Without another word, Finn scooped Blaine around the waist and hoisted him out the car. Blaine protested, "Only Kurt gets to sweep me off my feet. Stop it, Finley."

"My name is Finn, dude. Where did you even get Finley from?"

Blaine just shrugged as Kurt locked his car up and then took Blaine's free arm and placed it around his shoulder. He smiled at his boyfriend, "Okay, let's get you inside and in bed."

All three teenage boys were silent as they walked up the driveway to the front door, with the exception of Blaine occasionally letting out a hum of contentment. Finn and Kurt exchanged a glance as they reached the front door, both of them nervous. Finn wouldn't readily admit to this, but he felt like Blaine was becoming a part of the family and he loved the boy in a brotherly sense. He wanted Blaine to come around more often but he knew Burt as well as Kurt did when it came to things like this. Any violation of the rules Burt set would result in Blaine being unable to return, and whilst Burt hadn't vocalised it, returning to the Hummel-Hudson home drunk was almost certainly one of those rules.

Kurt fished his door key out of his jeans pocket and slid the key into its lock as he whispered, "Blaine, I need you to be quiet until we get downstairs. Can you do that for me?"

Blaine nodded as he put a finger to his lips and giggled. Whilst Kurt found it adorable, he had to stick to his plan. He pushed the door open and helped Blaine inside, Finn helping as much as he could when he was only just sobering up. He waited until Finn pushed the door closed behind them before slowly walking down the hallway so that they were going at Blaine's speed. Kurt glanced into the living room as they passed to see Burt and Carole sitting in the same armchair, doing a crossword puzzle or reading an article in today's newspaper or something. He smiled at the sight and continued on, knowing that with his parents preoccupied, it would be easier to slip into the bedroom than he originally thought.

Once they got to the door, Kurt turned to Finn, "Thank you. I can take him from here."

Finn nodded and enveloped Blaine's other arm around Kurt, causing Blaine to pull his boyfriend into a hug. Finn smiled at them, "Okay, cool. I'll let Burt and Mom know we're home and that we all just wanna hit the hay."

"Thanks Finn."

"Anytime, Kurt." Finn murmured as he walked back towards the living room.

* * *

"Kurt, why are you on the sofa?"

Kurt had decided that it was best for them to switch where they were sleeping for the night. He knew that if Blaine was on the sofa, he would come and crawl into bed next to him during the night. Kurt thought that his boyfriend might have been asleep, what with the 10-minute silence preceding this moment, but alas it was no use. He had managed to get Blaine into bed with ease, only having to take him over to the bed and lay him down under the sheets before Blaine made himself comfortable; no sexual advances; no attempts at being cheeky; Blaine was clearly ready to sleep. He had asked to quickly write in his journal, and Kurt allowed him to, even though he was certain that it would be illegible, but after that he had settled down to sleep as far as Kurt was aware. He had completed his skin routine and changed into pyjamas without so much as a word from Blaine; he had even turned the light out without any complaints.

Kurt sighed, "It's my dad's rules. We can't stay in the same bed."

"Come on, Kurt. One night, I swear. I just want to hold you." Blaine pleaded.

Kurt turned over to face the wall instead, hoping that he wouldn't give in to Blaine's tone, "Not whilst you're drunk, Blaine. Tomorrow night maybe?"

"Kurt."

At first, he wasn't sure his boyfriend had spoken because of how quiet he said his name, but he hummed in response before Blaine spoke up once more, "I promise I won't do anything. I just want to hold you."

Kurt sighed in defeat and rolled off the sofa. He sat on the end of the bed, twisting around to stroke Blaine's leg soothingly over the bedsheets, "I want to hold you too, but you know we can't, not without my dad's permission and he won't allow it if we did ask. He's only just come to terms with the fact that we're together. We can't push him any more than that." All it took was a single sigh from Blaine before Kurt caved, "Okay. But just for tonight."

"And for my birthday?"

Kurt chuckled as he crawled up the bed and slipped under the duvet, "We'll see." Kurt turned on his side and draped his arm over Blaine, his chest pushing against his boyfriend's back, "Let's get some sleep, honey."

"M'kay." Blaine muttered in response, wriggling slightly into Kurt's grip to get more comfortable.

After a few minutes, Kurt heard the deep breaths that Blaine always took when he was asleep and sighed in relief before wondering if he could slip out of bed without Blaine noticing, but it was a lost cause; if Blaine had begun to sober up then he would have remembered Kurt climbing into bed with him, and he didn't want to risk seeing the hurt in Blaine's eyes come morning. Then he thought about his dad, how he had clearly stated they couldn't share a bed or else Blaine couldn't stay in the same room as him. He felt guilty, like he was betraying his own father's trust, because that's basically what he was doing. But before he could make the final decision to go back to the sofa, sleep overcame him as he drifted into a dream filled with Blaine and a world that didn't judge anyone for anything.

* * *

_Hey, hey Journal,_

_BEST PARTY EVER WOO!_

_I love Kurt more than life and singing and hair gel and bow ties and everything!_

_- Blaine_

* * *

_Dear Journal,_

_It's been one of those interesting days that Blaine has been putting me through since the day we met. I met his mom, well sort of. I saw his mom on a computer screen. Dad seems to have finally let his guard down as well. 3 out of 4 parents are happy about us. I guess that's not too bad._

_The party was great actually. I didn't get to sing karaoke but it was fun. It was nice. Blaine and I danced together a lot, and it was a shame I let him drink. But I'm glad he had fun._

_Sleeping on the sofa tonight. I don't know how Blaine managed it last night without complaining in the morning. Maybe I should get him an air mattress when we go to the mall tomorrow. Anyway, best try to get some sleep. Might sit up and sleep. It may be more comfy that way._

_- Kurt_

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry it was such a long wait, but this has been the longest chapter so far and I've been really busy these past 3 months. Hope you enjoyed it and please review. Tell your friends (or your enemies) - the more the merrier :) Will update again when I get back from my holiday on 28th July


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